Heart of a Wolf
by varcolac352
Summary: A lone lycan, chosen by the keyblade, has been wandering the worlds seeking to atone for a mistake she made. She has been trying to keep the darkness of her condition at bay while hunting Organization XIII down one by one. She meets a boy with a similar struggle who is also fighting the Organization, but to save his friend. Maybe they can learn from each other. OCxRiku
1. Chapter 1

_The young hunter came upon a forest clearing at dawns first light. "I spend the whole night track some animal and all I find is you," he said to the exhausted girl. She looked up at him with her bright blue eyes that carried with them a touch of the wild._

"_You don't have to do this," she pleaded. "I never hurt anyone". She was on her knees, propping herself up with her keyblade. It was ancient. Starlight-pattern, but has served her faithfully. "I'll... I'll leave. You'll never see me again. You still get to say you slew the loup-garou. That's half the reason you hunt, right? Bragging rights?"_

"_Oh, no. It's not that simple," said the hunter. "I have a reputation to maintain. I came here to kill the Loup-Garou and that is exactly what I intend to do". The hunter aimed his weapon at the girl and she closed her eyes, waiting for the end. Instead, she heard the sound of metal on metal, and opened her eyes to see a silver-haired stranger standing between her and the hunter having knocked his gun out of his hands._

"_You shall do no such thing," the stranger said, his voice deep and commanding. "This girl is no beast for you to slay. She is clearly human". The stranger pointed his own weapon, a keyblade of black blue and silver with gears at the hilt and a clock making up the teeth, at the hunter's chest. "And that reputation would take a severe blow should it come out that you killed an innocent girl. I will handle this, and you will darken this clearing no more". The hunter backed off, running to grab his weapon before fleeing. The stranger turned to look at the girl and noticed her keyblade. She couldn't have been older than 13. His silver eyes were mesmerizing and his dark skin betrayed his islander heritage. He offered a hand to help the girl up, but she refused it, struggling to her feet and clutching at her side. "You're hurt," he said concerned._

"_It's just a few scrapes and scratches," the girl said. "It'll heal soon enough"._

"_Why was this man after you?" the stranger sked._

"_He... thought I was some animal he claimed was terrorizing the locals... Who are you? And why would you risk your life to save me?" the girl asked, dismissing her keyblade._

"_I am Xehanort. Can I ask for your name? And why you are here?"_

"_I'm... I'm Hauru. I was here dealing with a local infestation of Heartless. But..."_

"_The people assumed you were some monster? You seem very young to be doing this on your own. Where is your master?"_

"_I... don't have one. I've been traveling alone for months. Ever since I acquired this weapon. What little I know I have taught myself. I didn't even know that..." Xehanort offered Hauru his hand._

"_I can't very well let you keep doing this alone. Please, come with me. I have a place you can stay, at least until you are ready to start venturing out on your own". Hauru hesitated, but decided it might be better to have a place to live. At only fourteen years old, she needed guidance with this whole keyblade thing._

"_How do I know I can trust you?"_

"_I saved you. And you can't keep fumbling around in the dark. You could get yourself hurt, or worse". Hauru took Xehanort's hand, still uncertain of everything. "Do you have anything you need to gather before we leave this world?" Hauru shook her head. She made it a point of pride that she never went anywhere with more than she could carry on her._

"_No. I never owned much on the island, so I travel light." Xehanort nodded in approval and opened a portal with his keyblade to the realm he came from._

"_Follow me," Xehanort said and Hauru did as she was asked. _

Hauru awoke with a start, eyes darting around as she hauled herself out of her bed. The harsh desert sun peaking in through her curtains. She no longer seemed to have dreams, at least not in the traditional sense. Her self-imposed ten-year exile in the Unchained Realm may have been to blame. Memories visited her by night instead. It didn't take long for the air to come alive with the sounds and scents of daily life in Aggrabah and for Hauru to finally haul herself off of the pile of rugs she'd been sleeping on. Memories of her time with Xehanort had been haunting her ever since she returned from the Unchained Realm. But there wasn't time to dwell on it too much. There was work to be done, and the heartless that had taken to menacing the local bazaar weren't going to vanquish themselves. Hauru checked her stock of potions tucked into a cuff on her arm. 2 vials of green, one of purple, and 2 open slots. "Almost on my last Monkshood. Gonna have to make more. Might have to return to Beast's Castle when I am done here," she said to herself. "But first I need some breakfast". She clipped her Munny pouch onto her belt and left through the main storehouse door. Ever since she was thirteen, Hauru made sure she never owned more than she could carry. And having to live out of storage units and other such structures reinforced this habit.

As she walked through the Bazaar, she was delighted by the sights and sounds of people going about their day, and enticed by the smells of food. Aggrabah always had the best smelling food of any world she had been to, something about the spices they used allowed such wonderful scents to waft all around. It made Hauru's mouth water as the morning desert breeze made her skirt billow behind her with every step. She always wore the same outfit, kept clean with careful application of water magic. A mantle of white fur addorned her short-sleeved leather jacket. So wore the mark of a Keyblade Apprentice on the right lapel and a golden circle on the left one. Her red shirt always had the sleeves rolled up, even in the cold nights of Aggrabah or the harsh snowy mountains of the Land of Dragons, which she didn't visit terribly often. She had a flowing red skirt, fully open at the front and tattered a bit below from her rough travels. Taking a page from other world-travelers, she wore black cargo pants and leather trekking boots. She made sure her stomach was armored with a leather corset she was sent by her father, and wore a specialized belt to hold her munny pouch. From her neck hung the only family heirloom she had. An aged brass pendant with a small emerald in the center.

According to Haurus mother, the pendant belonged to her father's first wife before she tragically died. And now it was Hers. She never had the luxury of knowing who her father was, but she longed to one day return his pendant, maybe it would help give him closure. It only took her a few minutes to happen upon her favorite stand. A man waited there with a smile as he spun the rotisserie over an open flame. "Hauru," he shouted, "Come on. Don't be shy. I made your favorite today". Hauru rushed at the merchants call and stood before his stand.

"Omar! Good to see you're still doing well. You got that Olympian lamb?" Hauru asked. Omar nodded and carved some off the spit onto a waiting piece of naan bread. Then he garnished it with Hauru's usual choices before setting it on a plate in front of the dark-haired keybearer. Hauru reached for her munny pouch, but Omar quickly stopped her.

"No need for that. It's on the house today".

"You sure?"

"I am. You saved my life a week back. And in Agrabah, we make sure to honor our friends." Hauru nodded and thanked Omar for his generosity. She wasted no time tearing into the meal and when she was finished she looked back up at Omar.

"Have the Heartless been back since?" Hauru asked.

"Not Heartless. Something… else has been causing trouble here. Nobody got a good enough look to say for certain what we've got on our hands, but they are certainly not Heartlesss". Hauru stared out, lost in thought. Only two possibilities presented themselves to her. Either the Unversed had returned, which Hauru dismissed out of hand given that nobody had seen them since she returned from the Unchained Realm, or there were Nobodies abound. The latter made sense. In the months since returning from the Unchained Realm, she had never faced Nobodies and Heartless together on the same battlefield. "I heard fighting in the Palace Gardens, perhaps you can examine the area and figure out just what we're dealing with". Hauru nodded and ran off toward the Palace gates. She ducked and weaved through the crowds, eager to reach the palace and see just what she was up against. Nobodies of any sort usually meant Organization XIII. And whatever Organization XIII wanted in Agrabah couldn't possibly be good. Hauru soon came upon the palace gates.

"Halt!" shouted one of the guards. He drew his scimitar to black the Keybearers path. "The palace grounds are off limits to street rats. Especially after the attack last night."

"Really?" said Hauru, arms crossed over her chest. "You let Aladin live there and you spent your whole career trying to lock him up".

"He has special permission from Princess Jasmine".

"And I am the best chance you have at finding out what attacked the palace". Before the guard could respond, the gates opened and there stood Princess Jasmine, looking elegant as she always did. She smiled at the sight of Hauru and ordered her guards to stand down and let her through. "Princess, you're looking radiant, as ever".

"Thanks, Hauru. I'm glad your travels have been kind to you. Ever since the Keyhole was sealed, the Heartless have been mostly a nuisance, but what attacked the palace last night was…"

"Say no more, Princess. I'm here to get to the bottom of this. It's the least I could do for a Princess of Heart". Jasmine lead Hauru to the Gardens, her massive tiger prowling about. Rhaja rushed to the Princess's side at the sight of her, but started growling at Hauru. Jasmine swiftly dismissed the tiger and Hauru took in the full scope of the carnage. Massive circular inpressions dotted the grounds, and rectangular ones were also present, but these were deeper. Hauru turned to examine the imprint of a weapon left on a wall, of a massive hammer, almost sword-shaped. Hauru put the pieces together immediately. "Berserkers," she said.

"What?" asked the Princess. Before Hauru could even explain, four Berserker nobodies appeared, massive hammers in hand. Hauru summoned her keyblade, an ancient pattern from the Age of Fairytales called Starlight, and prepared herself for combat. She'd had months of experience dealing with the High-Ranking nobodies. Berserkers were brute force personified, tough to bring down and unrivaled by the other types in terms of raw physical power, but at the cost of speed.

"Princess, stay back. I'll take care of this". Hauru stood her ground, and waited for the Berserkers to come to her. Three or more berserkers in synch made up for their individual slowness, so Hauru resolved to separate them. Once they were clustered before her, she cut a wide arc at the air just in front of them and shouted, "Wind!" blasting them back and apart as with a swift and powerful gust. Hauru wasted no time charging toward the closest. It swung at her, but she slid just beneath its hammer on her knees before rising up behind it, blasting it with ice magic, rendering it too stiff to move. Another berserker noticed and came charging, but Hauru ducked out of the way, and the lumbering giant struck its frozen comrade, sending it flying. The keybearer exploited the opening she'd been given and threw her keyblade at the airborne nobody, delivering a critical strike that caused it to fade. Her keyblade returned to her not a moment too soon as the other berserker brought its hammer down. Hauru had gotten Starlight back just in time to block the hammer blow, sending the Berserker staggering back. Hauru unleashed a flurry of blows and finished the nobody off with a fireball straight to its chest.

A swift blow to Hauru's back sent her tumbling toward the fountain. She managed to recover, but the other berserker knocked her right up into the air. After regaining her bearings, she fell, casting and started to descend. She cast Aerora to slow her descent and put some distance between the remaining berserkers away from each other. And give her some breathing room. She ran towards one with her keyblade pointed at the other. "Ragnarok!" she shouted. A devastating salvo of light beams surged toward the berserker and it faded instantly. She charged at the last one, covering herself with a Reflect field as it shrunk and the hammer grew. She weathered the storm of downward blows. The berserker seemed exhausted and Hauru smiled. "My turn," she said. Suddenly, she was enveloped in an aura of white light and it spread to her keyblade, the light making up a blade that made her weapon appear even longer than it was supposed to be. Hauru knew that Nobodies, by virtue of being emotionless, couldn't feel or experience fear. But she was all too happy to give them the opportunity.

The last berserker brought its hammer down on Hauru only to miss as she leapt up, both hands on her keyblade's handle. In one powerful downward slash delivered as she landed behind the last nobody, Hauru dispatched her final foe. "Had to be berserkers," said Hauru. The keybearer's aura faded and she struggled to her feet. Jasmine rushed to her side.

"What were those things? They didn't look like Heartless".

"Nobodies," said Hauru. "Berserkers, specifically. To give you the short version, a Nobody is what is left behind if someone becomes a heartless. They are led by a group called Organization XIII. If these Berserkers were here, that means so is one of their members. And he just so happens to be number one on my hit list".

"And who's that?" Jasmine asked.

"Organization XIIIs Number seven. The Luna Diviner. Saïx". Hauru said the name with such contempt and disgust that even Jasmine was taken aback. "Have any of the guards seen a man in a black coat nearby recently? Wait, never mind". Hauru found, snagged on the thorns of Jasmine's prized roses, fibers torn from a black cloak. She reached over and took them in her hand. "I can track him. Jasmine, stay safe. Saïx won't bother you once I'm through with him". Hauru departed for the bazaar, clutching the coat fibers tight. In a landscape like Agrabah's, that was changing constantly with the winds, tracking by footprints and the like was impossible. It may be doable within the city itself, but outside the gates, the story was different. The sands were always shifting, and nothing was permanent. For once, Hauru was grateful to bear the burden she did. It made her life as an apprentice difficult, and became far worse when she left the Land of Departure, but there were certain gifts it granted that almost made them worth it. Almost.

Hauru sniffed at the fibers and suddenly she was able to catch the scent of Saïx. _The false wolf was here, s_he thought. But the scent trail was far from fresh. Wherever he was, it wasn't in the city. He could have already left the world for another, but perhaps Saïx was after something. Hauru ran, following the faint trace of Saïx's scent until she was outside the city. There was a massive sandstorm engulfing thr ruins to the east. But the faint trail was strongest in the direction of the Cave of Wonders. But she had lost track of time. Dusk would come soon. Hauru summoned her keyblade and swapped out the chain for the one hanging from her belt. And in a flash of light, Starlight and transformed into Fenrir. Fenrir was longer, and its blade resembled the keys for pin tumbler locks. And almost half of it was wrapped in cloth. Hauru tossed it, forcing it to spin, but then what returned was her keyblade glider, with a wolfs head up front, the lights housed in the eyes, it bore the most similarity to a hover bike, common to a region of interspace Hauru never much cared for. Hauru, for protection against the harsh desert winds, slapped her apprentice's mark and was engulfed in light as her keyblade armor formed around her. Her red and black armor made her stand out a fair bit but matched the color scheme of her keyblade glider. It was sleek and made it clear she was female, but jagged and harh where it needed to be, the signature accent piece was located where the ears would be, and almost resembled metal wolf ears. In fact, her armor seemed to give the helm a fierce, almost wolf-like, countenance. Her necklace hung from her neck outside the armor, and it even bore a fur mantle. Hauru mounted her glider and sped toward the cave of wonders. However, the distance was vast, and by the time she arrived, the sun had begun to set.

Hauru dismounted and the glider reformed into a keyblade once more. Hauru dismissed her armor, knowing in her heart that she wouldn't need it. As the sun had disappeared from the sky, Hauru reached for her potion cuff as the moon began to rise, downing the last purple vial in an instant. She's stayed on top of the wolf ever since her last night at the Land of Departure, and she was not about to let it win now that she was here. The full moon rose into the night sky and Hauru closed her eyes and when they opened, her irises had widened out and turned a dazzling combination of blue shades,. She doubled over as her change began. Her boots disappeared as her feet lengthened, forcing her into a digitigrade stance. Her face crunched and pushed forward into something like a muzzle as black fur covered her body. The thickest fur was on her legs, chest, neck, and forearms, and her nails lengthened into wicked claws. Once her ears had shifted, her change was finished. Hauru let loose a blood curdling howl, as if to announce her presence. The lycan stood before the cave entrance, and ran inside, gripping Fenrir tight. _I'm coming for you, false wolf_, she thought. _And you'll see just how strong the moon makes me. After all, you can't fight fire with spaks._


	2. Chapter 2

Hauru made her way down into the cave of wonders, guided by Saïx's scent. He was close. She knew it deep in her heart. She'd heard tale of what happened on this world. A treacherous vizier tried to seize power by wishing to be an all-powerful genie, only to be trapped in a lamp himself. Such tales, Hauru suspected, reminded her why Saïx's existence offended her so. He drew his power from the moon, as she did, but was unwilling to pay the same cost she had to endure. Hauru's frustrated growls echoed throughout the cave as she went deeper and deeper down. She suspected Saïx would not be nearly as powerful underground. His power came from the full moons light, which did not shine in the Cave of Wonders' depths. _I have been waiting for this for so long._ Hauru clutched at the necklace that she wore, careful not to damage her clothes. She figured out during her first change that she didn't ever grow large enough to destroy their clothing, which was just as well. Hauru's condition was expensive to manage even without having to buy a new outfit after every full moon.

She came upon a massive chamber, filled to the brim with all manner of sparkling gold and gems. There, in the chambers center, she saw a figure clad in a black coat with his hood raised. The scent matched. Before the figure removed his hood, Hauru knew exactly who she had come across. She had found him. Saïx. The Luna Diviner, the false wolf, Organization XIIIs No. VII. Blue hair cascaded down as he turned to look at the lycan wielding the Fenrir keyblade. "I suspected I'd find you sooner or later. The Superior perceives you as a serious threat. All I see is an animal." Saïx's remark cut Hauru deep, reaching her very heart. She dropped low and bared her razor-sharp teeth, her icy blue eyes focused exclusively on Saïx. "Did I touch a nerve?" Saïx summoned forth his Claymore and took up his ready stance. His yellow eyes began to glow. Hauru knew it shouldn't be possible for him to unleash his fury so far away from the full moons light, but it was happening. Hauru charged, hoping to end him before Saïx could start his vicious offensive, but to no avail. He charged forward, slamming his hammer down with every step and creating powerful shockwaves of lunar energy. All Hauru could do was dodge and evade. But once Saïx got close enough, Hauru delivered a slash with Fenrir right across his face. Saïx had expended his energy and his eyes returned to normal. Saïx raised a hand to his face. Somehow, Hauru had drawn blood. Hauru took advantage of Saïx's distraction and delivered a series of powerful blows with Fenrir, the last one cutting in the opposite direction across his face, leaving an X-shaped wound.

To Hauru's amazement, Saïx's resolve only seemed to strengthen. "Perhaps I spoke too soon," Saïx said. "But no matter. I will put you down, lycan!" Hauru was taken aback. Nobodies always freaked her out. She knew they had no hearts, knew they had no emotion. She wasn't sure if their false displays of emotion were for their own benefit or a psychological tactic, but it was scarily convincing. Hauru didn't want to give Saïx an opening. She rushed him and leapt into the air, hoping to bring her full weight down on him via her keyblade, but Saïx blocked the attack effortlessly and flung Hauru into one of the nearby pillars. The force of the impact broke the Pillar and by the time Hauru recovered, Saïx was right on top of her. She managed to roll out of the way before the attack could connect. "Stubborn creature, aren't you?" Hauru growled at the nobody for that remark, and managed to land a series of powerful slashes while the Nobody readied for another attack. Hauru's confidence was short lived. Saïx charged at the keybearing lycan. Hauru managed to block the attack, but the overwhelming force of it sent her flying. She managed to recover her balance, but not before crashing through another pillar.

_This lunatic is going to bring the cave down around our ears if the keeps up._ Hauru thought. _I have to finish this quickly._ Saïx fought like the Berserkers he controlled, but didn't suffer the same speed penalty. Hauru ran towards him, and her first strike was blocked. The cave echoed with the sound off clattering weapons as each of Hauru's successive attacks was blocked. Even the reach provided by Fenrir wasn't enough find a crack in Saïx's defense. It went on like that for a full minute before Hauru slipped up, allowing Saïx to land a powerful combo with his hammer. Saïx's last blow brought Hauru to her knees. As she struggled to get back on her feet, or rather her hindpaws, Saïx struck her with a powerful blow that sent her tumbling back.

"Such a pitiful creature," said Saïx. "And if this is you at your strongest, then the Superior's fears seem overblown". Hauru tried to haul herself up and Saïx knocked her right back down. Hauru stood shakily on her feet, it was a struggle to stay conscious, much less battle Saïx. She did the only thing she could. She left the area and realized she had to get back to the city proper. A health potion would keep her fit to move, but her injuries would take longer to heal. She was dazed from the numerous blows she'd sustained, and the labyrinthine nature of the Cave of Wonders was made harder still for the wounded lycan to navigate. It must have been hours before she found the exit. It was still dark out, but the moon was beginning to set. She managed to summon her glider to traverse the desert, but she collapsed once she reached the city's outer wall. By then, the sun had risen and she'd reverted to her human form. The pain of the change was the last straw. She saw a figure wearing the Organization's coat slowly approach her. And then, everything went black.

_Hauru walked alone up to the massive doors of the chained castle. The man who had brought her there had vanished. She was greeted by blue-haired girl named Aqua, charming and lovely. She led the young Hauru through the castle and brought her to the throne room to stand before Master Eraqus. "Master," she said, "I found her just outside the castle gates. I'm not sure how she got here, but she wields a keyblade". Eraqus made a gesture with his hand and Aqua left._

"_You certainly seem fairly young to be wandering the worlds by yourself," the wise master said. "But you did well to find your way to our doors when you did". Hauru looked worried, but never told Eraqus why. Her curse, the thing that made that hunter chase her. She knew how to manage it, but the risk of discovery here was far higher than it ever was anywhere else. But where else could she go? "You're safe here, young one. What is your name?"_

"_It's Hauru," she said, clutching at the necklace she wore. She tended to do that when she was nervous. As if calling out for guidance from a father she never knew. "What exactly is this place?"_

"_The Land of Departure. It is here that wielders of the keyblade train to become true masters. All to keep the Realm of Light safe from the creeping dark," Eraqus explained. "You have already met Aqua, one of my older students. There are two more that train here. For now, feel free to get to know the others". Hauru bowed and headed off, following the sound of clashing wooden weapons. Just in front of the gate, the other apprentices were sparring. Hauru watched for a while, appraising their techniques. But Hauru was noticed by the youngest of the three, with messy blonde hair and a jacket that was black on one side and white on the other._

"_Hey," the boy said. "You must be Eraqus's new student. I'm Ventus, but most people just call me Ven." Ventus gestured to the young man with the massive tan pants and brown hair. "That's Terra"._

"_Hi. I... I'm Hauru"._

"_I saw you when Aqua brought you to see the master," Terra said. "That keyblade looks like one from the stories. Where'd you get the chain for it?"_

"_Oh, I... It was moms," Hauru said._

"_I like your necklace," said Aqua. "It must be special"._

"_It's a gift. My dad gave it to mom before he left. And mom gave it to me. She's probably worried sick about me"._

"_I'm sure you'll see her again," Ventus said reassuringly. "In the meantime, we can be your family"._

Hauru shot awake and found herself in unfamiliar surroundings. Her jacket and potion cuff were hanging on a post along with her belt and corset. She tried to move, but every nerve in her legs screamed in sheer agony. Hauru tried to suppress any kind of reaction. She wasn't in the storehouse she was crashing in. No, this was much better-appointed. She knew she was still in Agrabah, a fact that was confirmed by the scents wafting in through the open windows. She realized, from the stiffness in her movement, that someone had bandaged her wounds for her. She must have broken a rib or seven. She saw a hooded figure coming in, wearing a black coat just like Saïx. "Stay back!" Hauru shouted. She summoned her keyblade, still bearing Fenrirs form. "I'm warning you. Don't come any..." Hauru was cut off by the searing pain in her chest and back.

"You're in no condition to fight. Put that keyblade away before you hurt yourself". The figure sounded younger than she expected. A boy, without question. Perhaps no older than herself. Physically, at any rate. Hauru's time in the unchained realm was spent without aging. "I brought you here to rest, so you could heal". The cloaked boy said. Hauru gripped her Keyblade tighter and swapped out the chain for Starlight, changing it back to the ancient pattern she was used to.

"Why would a nobody do that for me? I hunt down and kill your kind". The figure brought his hood down to reveal his face. He was blindfolded and had a long mane of silver hair. He smelled of ocean breeze and salt spray. An islander? No. Hauru knew those smells. Her birthplace. This boy was from the Destiny Islands, just like her.

"They wouldn't," the cloaked boy said. "I'm not one of them. Put the keyblade away. You're not in any danger". Hauru grunted and dismissed her keyblade. "That's better. Saïx really did a number on you".

"You should see what I did to his face," Hauru boasted. "What's your name?" Hauru demanded. "And why are you wearing that?"

"It's Riku. I think you owe me some answers first, since I saved your life". Hauru nodded in agreement. "First off, how come you have a keyblade?"

"It's thanks to my mother," Hauru said. "She bequeathed it to me when I was very young. I guess she saw some kind of potential in me."

"And why are you taking on the Organization head-on? It's reckless."

"How is what you're doing any different?" Hauru asked. "I made a mistake some time ago. This is my atonement. If I bring them down, I can be forgiven. And if I die..."

"I'm not trying to hunt them down one by one. And I'm not doing this alone". Riku calmly took a seat beside Hauru. Hauru, meanwhile, was more nervous than she ever was. She had no reason to think he knew her secret, nor could she ask. Best to play along, even as she felt her wounds start to heal on their own. Just one more gift that came from being a lycan.

"So why are you doing this?" Hauru asked. "Running around the worlds, dressed like them". Riku took a deep breath and let out a long sigh.

"I'm doing it so my best friend... sleeps in peace". Riku never liked having to think about what lead him to this point. "He means a lot to me. And if he's ever going to wake up..." Hauru cut him off by reaching a comforting hand out to his shoulders.

"I know how it feels. I have a friend who's been asleep for a very long time. I'm scared he won't wake up". Hauru remembered Ventus, a fellow apprentice under Master Eraqus. Xehanort had brought her to the land of departure so she could be properly trained in the art of wielding a keyblade when she was just twelve. Assuming the man who saved her all those years ago really was Xehanort. Her memory was a little fuzzy, and spending eleven years in the Unchained Realm didn't help whatsoever.

"Let me take a look at your injuries. I already bandaged them as best I could," Riku said. Hauru's eyes went wide.

"That's not really necessary. I'll be fine". Riku prodded anyway, and Hauru found that they had stopped hurting. _Uh oh. I need to get out before..._

"Does it hurt when I do this?" he asked. Hauru shook her head and Riku's expression changed to genuine shock. "That's impossible... You're already..." Before Riku could even finish his sentence, Hauru got up and put all of her gear back on.

"Listen, I want to thank you for what you've done, but I need to get going. My work is never done". Hauru managed to get to the exit to Riku's domicile before he called out to her, which froze her in her tracks.

"Wait! What's your name? Will I ever see you again?"

"My name's Hauru. And that depends. I have to go". And like that, Hauru was gone. She rushed out through the bazar to the outer wall and breathed a massive sigh of relief. That was too close. But for some reason, Thoughts of this boy, who risked so much to save her, couldn't leave her mind. This boy, this Riku had saved her, but she still wasn't sure why. Lycans are not particularly easy to kill, but Hauru was worried that there would be even tougher foes than Saïx. But maybe the organization thinking she wasn't a real threat was a good thing. They would underestimate her, get cocky, and that was something she could use. But the whole situation wasn't right, as far as Hauru was concerned. Lycans were at their strongest under the full moon, so her mother said in the stories she told. How could Saïx have beaten her as easily as he did? Her thoughts were interrupted by the realization that she needed to brew more monkshood potions to keep herself calm and under control come the next full moon. _One sky, one destiny. One sun and moon_. There were exceptions to this. Halloween Town had a full moon every night. But she could think of that later. She summoned her keyblade and swapped out the chain, transforming Starlight into Fenrir and summoning her glider after donning her armor. It was time to go. Beasts Castle was a reliable source of Monkshood, and served as a logical next stop. As she ascended into interspace, she silently hoped that she'd see more of Riku.


	3. Chapter 3

"_Tell me a story, momma," Hauru said, wrapped in her covers. Venra came in carrying a large book, bound in leather and bearing an intricate seal on the cover before setting it down. The nine-year-old Hauru looked at her mother and quirked her head._

"_Okay, little one. Which one do you want to hear? The Azure Mage in the Land of Dragons?" Hauru shook her head and pointed at the book her mom brought in._

"_That one," said the little girl. Venra met daughter's gaze with a shocked expression._

"_Sweetie, that book belonged to your father. It's not really for little kids"._

"_I'm not a little kid anymore," Hauru said defiantly. "I'm turning ten next week. I'm a big girl". Venra giggled._

"_I guess you're right. And you were already bequeathed my keyblade... I suppose you can handle this one without any nightmares"._

"_Of course I can. I'm gonna be a keyblade master someday, after all. Then I'm gonna find daddy". Venra set the book on her lap and sat beside Hauru's bed._

"_Alright. Let's start at the beginning". Venra opened the book to the first page, and decided it was best to paraphrase for little Hauru's benefit. "A thousand years before the Keyblade war shattered the world into what it is now, there was a great leader named Alexander Corvinus. He was kind, and wise, and always tried his best to help those around him. Alexander was special. For he was immortal, and could not die or even age. He went on to have three sons. Marcus, William and Sandor. Only two had their father's gift, Marcus and William. The two were inseparable, as brothers and as best friends". Venra paused for breath and Hauru was clearly enthralled by her tale. "But everything changed for the two one night. Marcus and William decided to return home from a day of adventuring by riding their horses through a mountain path when suddenly..." Venra imitated the howl of a wolf, throwing her head back. It sounded almost too good, too real._

"_What happened?" Hauru asked._

"_The two brothers were attacked by a massive black wolf. Marcus's horse threw him off in terror and ran away. The wolf pinned Marcus down, poised to eat him up," Venra said, menacingly. Hauru clutched her blanket tight to herself. "But before the wolf could eat his brother, William wrestled the wolf off him. William tossed and tussled with the wolf, getting scratched up and bitten before he threw the wolf off the cliff. But before they could celebrate, William began to change. He was becoming something else, something new. He grew white fur all over his body and became more and more like a wolf with each passing moment. When it was over, beneath the bright full moon, he let out a terrifying howl. His transformation was complete. And irreversible. William Corvinus had become the very first werewolf"._

"_I thought werewolves were supposed to turn back when the sun came out," said Hauru._

"_No, sweetie. Lycans do that. Not werewolves. Now, William was lost at that point to the darkness in his heart. And he went on a vicious rampage. On his way home to tell his father what happened, Marcus was bitten by a bat and became the very first vampire. Alexander gave Marcus a quest. Stop William by any means necessary. So, Marcus enlisted the help of a great general named Viktor, who would give Marcus his army in exchange for being turned into a vampire," Venra took a breath and saw that Hauru was still awake._

"_So, William became a Heartless?"_

"_No, Hauru. Werewolves are bad enough without becoming Heartless. Where was I?"_

"_Viktor became a vampire, too," answered Hauru._

"_Right. So, Viktor turned a warrior named Amelia and the two rallied their army and went after William. It took the three 600 years, but they finally found him. They came upon a village that had been ravaged by the first werewolf and made their way through to find him. The villagers all started changing and Amelia stayed behind to fight off the werewolves. Viktor rode ahead with his personal guard. Marcus followed, but had to deal with the occasional werewolf"._

"_Did Marcus ever find his brother?"_

"_When Marcus saw William again, he was already being chained up by Viktor's soldiers. Viktor told Marcus, 'Even you cannot control him. We shall lock him up, far from here. Far from you'. And so it was that William was entombed and put to sleep. To this day, he slumbers, locked up so he can't hurt anyone again. Viktor made two keys to Williams prison. The first was kept... close to his heart. And the other was draped around his daughter's neck. It is there, in some far off castle, that the first werewolf lies in slumber to this very day. The end"._

"_William must be lonely. Locked up for almost a thousand years," Said Hauru. "What if he wakes up?"_

"_Hopefully he won't," Venra said, clutching the necklace that her husband gave her._

"_Maybe he just needs a friend and he wouldn't be so angry"._

"_Who can say for sure? But it's time for you to go to bed"._

"_Okay. Goodnight mommy," Hauru said in a yawn._

"_Sweet dreams, Hauru. Don't let the vampires bite..."_

Hauru awoke as the sun began to rise over the forest surrounding Beasts Castle. She had clearly dozed off after she managed to gather the monkshood she needed to prepare her special potion. She was never sure why it worked, or how. She once thought it would stop her change completely, but saving her mind from the ravages of her "gift" was about as much as she could hope for. Step two was to get to a moogle to synthesize the potions, which meant a trip back to Twilight Town, but ever since some boy sealed its keyhole, Hollow Bastion had been slowly recovering. Hauru remembered when it was known as Radiant Garden. A distant roar caught her attention. The castle's master, the so-called beast. If there was one thing he hated, it was intruders. Since his lady love, Belle, came back into his life, he has been calmer, gentler, but his wild instinct still raged. Hauru first thought him to be one of William's spawn, but their first meeting erased any possibility of that.

Hauru took no time in running out of the gardens. She had to fight the Beast once, and even in her altered form, she was no match for him. Could it be that the monkshood was also weakening her altered form? She shook such thoughts from her mind. She couldn't risk letting it affect her mind. Otherwise the rage of the wolf would invite darkness into her human heart. It didn't help that she still got flashes of things she did when she turned without her potion. What she did to Ventus still haunted her. If Terra had been just a few seconds slower, she could have killed Ven, or worse, turned him. She still remembered the look on his face when he saw her changing. "Times were better before then," she said aloud to herself. "If Ven hadn't seen me..." Hauru left through the courtyard gates to find a wide enough space to summon her glider and make her way back to Hollow Bastion.

When Hauru arrived, the town felt a lot less dead than it had been months prior, but it was far from ever being as grand as it once was. She, nevertheless, preferred it over Twilight town. Traverse Town was more densely populated and its sky was an eternal night, which made Hauru avoid it on principle. There could be all manner of vampires there and she'd never know. Hauru didn't do well with people or crowds, and Twilight Town had both in spades. She still went there, but never stayed long. Hollow Bastion, as it stood when she arrived, was perfect for her. She wandered through the alley with Starlight clutched tight in hand. Even though the keyhole was sealed, Heartless still found their way here. They weren't nearly the threat they had been, and there was a new security system in place that kept most of them from reaching the more populated areas. But it always missed a few. And Heartless killed by means besides the keyblade tended to reconstitute somewhere else. She learned that the hard way, and an entire world paid the price.

Six neoshadows dragged themselves up from the ground and surrounded Hauru. She grit her teeth and let out a low growl. She didn't ever really understand the Heartless. They are drawn to the hearts of those chosen by the keyblade. But that also put them in reach of the weapon most dangerous to them. To Hauru's amazement, the Neoshadows didn't attack her, but merely scattered and went off in another direction. Had they found easier prey, or a more worthy challenge? She couldn't say. All she knew was that she had the chance to head to the market square and get more of her potion made. She dismissed her keyblade and sighed. Her injuries had healed completely and she was eager for a fight after her humiliating defeat at the hands of the Luna Diviner. As she walked, she began to think. Is this what her life had become? Living from full moon to full moon hunting Nobodies and poisoning herself to keep others safe. To what end? Aqua and Terra might have had a point when she met them in Radiant Garden after they dispatched that gestalt Unversed ten years prior. Maybe she didn't have to go on like that. Maybe there was a better way. But she hadn't found it. Wandering the streets of what once was Radiant Garden, she thought back to the mistake she made. Xehanort, or some version of him, had saved her. But the things he had done since horrified her. And when their paths crossed at Radiant Garden, the wolf began to slip its leash and she cleaved him heart from body with his own keyblade. She thought she had murdered him and went into a self-imposed exile in the Unchained Realm.

When she returned to the realm of light, she had come to learn that she had, in fact, CREATED Xemnas through her act of retribution. Her thoughts were interrupted when she came to the stand run by a moogle. "Welcome back, Hauru, Kupo! Here for the usual?" Hauru merely nodded and gave the moogle the monkshood she's been carrying. "It shouldn't take too long, Kupo". Hauru smiled and went on her way. The Neoshadows were headed for the alley. Maybe that meant one of the Organization members was present. She knew that the Heartless were drawn to the Keyblade. And only one member of the Organization carried it. Organizarion XIII's number thirteen. Roxas, the Key of Destiny. Hauru gave the moogle some munny up front and ran off, following the scent of the Neoshadows and summoning her keyblade, swapping the chain out for Fenrir and leaping from rooftop to rooftop until she came to the alley's entrance. She saw the Neoshadows surrounding a boy in a black at and charged in. Hauru lashed in wide arcs that caught multiple Neohadows in their deadly reach. The boy in the coat was swarmed by soldiers and Neoshadows, fighting back with a wing-shaped blade. It wasn't Roxas. The boy was struggling as he fought, tiring from the battle of attrition. Hauru rushed to him, using wind magic to clear a path.

The battle ended after many blows. Hauru did the most damage by far, and the boy with the wing-blade lowered his hood and fell to his knees, exhausted. "Riku!" Hauru shouted, rushing to the boy's side. She helped him up to his feet, draping his arm over his shoulder.

"Hau…ru…" He said weakly. "How'd you…"

"I followed the Heartless," she said. "I was expecting to find Roxas".

"Sorry to disappoint you", said Riku. Hauru dragged Riku back to town. Whereas Saïx offended her for playing with the trappings of her condition, Roxas made her equally angry, as he wore the face of her old friend Ventus. A memory animated in flesh, or whatever nobodies were made of.

"So, this makes us even, then?" Asked Hauru. Riku nodded. "Score's one to one".

"We have got to stop meeting like this," Said Riku as they neared the market. Hauru set him down on a bench and went over to the moogle stand.

"Your special potion is ready, kupo. We've had no luck making anything that can stop the change, kupo. But we'll keep trying, kupo".

"I appreciate it," Hauru said as she collected her monkshood potions. She wlaked back over to take a seat beside Riku.

"What brought you to Hollow Bastion?"

"It wasn't always called that," said Hauru. The girl let out a long sigh. "It was once known as Radiant Garden. A city of light and hope. Its people were happy and prosperous. It was wonderful, once".

"So, how'd it turn into... well..."

"This?" Asked Hauru. Riku nodded. "Nobody's really sure. I didn't see it happen..." Hauru sighed. Could it have anything to do with what she did here all those years ago? She tried desperately to push such thoughts from her mind, but they returned, as they often did, with a vengeance. It was as if that other side of her, the side she had been suppressing with monkshood, had been trying to show her something. She remembered finding Xehanort in Ansem's lab, but he'd taken Terra's body and was standing over the lifeless husks of the other apprentices and security. She hadn't given Terra-Xehanort the chance to explain, nor would any explanation suffice. Hauru had taken his keyblade, No Name, and cleaved Xehanort heart from body. She didn't remember doing it, but her other side had. But the rage of her wolf side should have been calmed, suppressed, but the darker impulse to end Xehanort where he stood... Nothing could stop her and no part of her tried. Riku noticed Hauru spacing out and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Hauru?" he asked, "You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. Just... lost in thought, I guess".

"This is where it happened, isn't it?" Riku asked. Hauru's eyes went wide. He remembered. "That 'mistake' you made?" Hauru nodded, and hung her head.

"I couldn't save any of them... all I could do was make him pay for it. I..."

"You don't have to tell me," Riku said. "Not until you're ready". Hauru looked up at him and smiled.

"Do you... ever take that blindfold off?" Haur asked. Riku shook his head.

"It's so my eyes can't lie to me about the darkness I have to use... Is that why you have those potions? The purple ones". Hauru nodded.

"There's this sort of darkness that I've been fighting since I was twelve. The potion helps keep it from devouring my heart. It's... kind of like the darkness is in my blood rather than my heart," Hauru explained. She held up one of the small vials of purple liquid for Riku to look at. "This little potion keeps it there".

"Are you sure that's what it really is?" Riku asked. Hauru nodded.

"It's the only explanation that makes sense. I know what I'm doing. I only need to take it once a month".

"That's good, I suppose".

"Hey, Riku?" Hauru asked. Riku turned to face her. "Do you ever take breaks from this quest of yours?"

"Rarely, but I could use one soon. It's exhausting, sometimes. Maybe I should take some time away from it. You ever heard of a place called Twilight Town?"

"Yep," said Hauru. "I don't always like going there. I'm not a big fan of crowds..." Riku laughed.

"Don't think that's year-round. The Struggle tournament is a few months away, so you should be good. Assuming you take breaks from your... atonement, let's call it".

"I haven't since I got back... from the Unchained Realm. It'd be nice, though". Hauru looked up with a smile. A proper break was probably a good idea. She'd been running herself ragged hunting the Organization's members, and for Saïx to have wiped the floor with her when she was transformed... Maybe she wasn't fighting as well because she was exhausted, and not getting enough sleep, going from world to world and eating only what she needed.

"Then, meet me in Twilight Town in two days. We'll hang out, get some food, maybe see some sights while we're at it".

"That sounds wonderful, Riku," Hauru said with a smile. "It's a date". The second those words left her mouth, she regretted them, but Riku laughed it off. "I'll meet you by the train station". Riku nodded and Hauru left him where he sat so she could leave Hollow Bastion and make it to Twilight Town ahead of him. That was the last place she saw Roxas, and maybe he'd gone back there. Hauru donned her armor and summoned her glider through Fenrir. She got on and soared high above, smiling to herself, a knowing smile that meant she'd finally be getting time to de-stress. She'd denied herself that simple luxury, but maybe it was more essential than she realized.


	4. Chapter 4

_The halls of the Chained Castle were empty, bathing in the afternoon sun. Hauru wandered the halls as she often did when she wanted to be alone. The castle was deceptively roomy inside, and even in the year she'd been there, she had yet to see everything. She knew how to find her own quarters, where the dining hall was, where the infirmary was, and how to find the throne room. Something had been bothering her for a while. An unfamiliar scent that she couldn't place. There was someone in the castle, someone new. Hauru followed the scent, her keyblade gripped tightly in her hand. She was never one to trust any stranger that wandered in. She followed it to the library, door open just a crack. Hauru raised Starlight and crept in, remaining as silent as she could. The young lycan moved deeper into the library, head on a swivel and eyes darting around. Hauru turned her gaze to the source of the unfamiliar scent. She saw a man with brown hair so light it was almost blond and a bit of red in his well-groomed beard. He wore the robes of a scholar, cream colored with gold trim and well-placed buckles and straps._

"_Ah, miss. You seem rather hostile," the man said. Hauru dismissed her keyblade and her stance became far more relaxed._

"_Sorry," Hauru said. "I always get nervous when there's a new scent in the castle I don't…" Hauru cut herself off and raised a hand to her mouth, hoping her statement had gone unnoticed. The stranger raised his arm and smelled his armpit._

"_Seems I need to wash my robes"._

"_I mean… I'm usually on guard when there's visitors. This land is neutral ground between the light and dark and you never know who might abuse that". The stranger eyed Hauru for a bit before his expression softened._

"_I understand. My name is Alexandrus Aeon. But most just call me Aeon. I am with the Order of Gnosis. We kind of… split off from the Dandelions thirty or so years ago". Hauru gave the man a quizzical look and Aeon smiled. "It's a semi-monastic order of keyblade wielders who consider the acquisition of knowledge to be a virtue"._

"_I'm Hauru. Hauru Corvinus". Aeon arched an eyebrow._

"_Corvinus, you say?" Aeon asked. Hauru nodded as Aeon stroked his beard for a moment before speaking again. "Corvinus is a very old name. A very… historically significant name. I can't possibly imagine marrying into that family. No offense"._

"_My mom actually brought my dad into it. He adopted her surname since he didn't have one," Hauru explained. "Do you know Master Eraqus?" Aeon nodded._

"_We go back some years. He was a part of our order once. When he attained the Mark of Mastery, he left to form this very academy"._

"_I was wondering. Do you know anything about… lycans?"_

"_There are numerous texts here that detail such creatures"._

"_I have this friend," Hauru lied. She didn't want to risk being found out, even if this Aeon was just a visitor. "She's a lycan, but she's living somewhere that makes her condition difficult to hide. So, I was hoping that there was a way to… to stop the change"._

"_Folklore seems to suggest that Monkshood be used. But it's incredibly toxic. Tingling, numbness… On some worlds, it's still used as a method of execution," Aeon explained._

"_She… actually uses a special potion made with monkshood. But it's diluted to the point that it doesn't stop the physical changes. All it does is stop her mind from changing. That way this… darkness in her blood doesn't corrupt her heart. It's stopped her from hurting anyone so far but I… she's on her last vial. And the full moon is tonight". Hauru's voice was tinged with worry. The sort of worry that had Aeon thinking the issue Hauru described was far more personal._

"_What'd you do, kiss her boyfriend? Dear, You're a lycan, but a very bad liar". Aeon's response left Hauru dumbstruck. He knew. Somehow, he knew. And if Aeon could figure it out…_

"_H…How'd you… do any of the others know? Does Eraqus…"_

"_Not so far as I can tell," said Aeon, trying to be reassuring. Hauru's expression was still shocked. "Relax, dear. You just gave yourself away with the old 'my friend' trick. I understand the caution... I shan't tell a soul. But I want to urge you to be extremely cautious"._

"_But… I heard you and Eraqus once fought werewolves, so I wanted to be sure. Since some people can't tell the difference between lycans and werewolves…"_

"_The werewolves we fought in Evervale have much more in common with William and his ilk. But they are of a… radically different breed than yourself," Aeon said with a sullen expression. "As for you, have you considered simply… not treating it?"_

"_Are you insane? The moon sends my rage into overdrive. Without that potion… I'm just a mindless animal. Like William. I've used it every month since my first change"._

"_Suffice it to say, you never attempted to learn how to control it"._

"_There is no controlling it," Hauru snapped. Aeon was visibly taken aback._

"_Easy, lass. You're young. Learning to control it would likely be quite an ordeal"._

"_How long does it take for lycans to get the sort of control I need?"_

"_Oh, around three to four… hundred years? I have some theories on how that timetable can be moved up considerably," Aeon explained. Haurus jaw nearly hit the floor. Her mother had told her, long ago, that lycans were immortal._

"_Mom bequeathed me her keyblade," Hauru said, hang her head low, "But it still had to choose me. But it made a mistake… I'm not even human…"_

"_You wouldn't be the first non-human to be given such an honor. You'd be surprised. Lycans have wielded it before you. And even a being known as the Azure Mage," Aeon explained. "It's something of a misnomer, though. J'ana's magic is actually a product of advanced technology". Aeon paused for breath. "Perhaps, Hauru, you need to go back to your roots. Or those of your species. The Country of Immortals. It's one of the outer worlds, so reaching it is likely not possible with a keyblade glider. A gummi-ship though…"_

"_There's something else that's been bothering me. A… a dream? A vision? I'm not sure what it is… I'm looking through a man's eyes. A woman burning at the stake, but not from fire. From sunlight. She wore this". Hauru held up her necklace for Aeon to see. "Does the name Sonja mean anything to you?"_

"_Of course. It came up a lot in the Histories written by Andreas Tanis. She was… an interesting figure. A vampire born of Viktor, the reigning elder, and a mother who died giving birth to her. She was always the rebellious sort. She fell in love with a lycan named Lucian"._

"_The crownless king," Hauru whispered to herself. "The first domino that set off the chain reaction that lead to revolt"._

"_You read the histories as well?" Hauru shook her head._

"_Mom did. To me. As a child, before I went to bed. But I keep seeing the same vision. Sonja's death…"_

"_Lycans have been known to pass traumatic memories on to those they turn. If you were born a lycan, as I suspect, then for you to have that memory…" Aeon paused, stroking his beard. "Never mind. It's probably nothing significant"._

"_Right," Hauru said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Thanks for the information, but I need to get going"._

"_It was a pleasure to meet you, Hauru Corvinus". Hauru turned and made her way out of the library, her last vial of the monkshood potion in her hand. She wasn't looking where she was going, and was torn from her thoughts by literally bumping into Aqua. She dropped her potion, and the vial shattered. Aqua didn't seem to notice or care._

"_Sorry," Hauru said, stumbling back and rubbing the back of her head. "I just got out of an interesting conversation with Eraqus's old friend"._

"_It's okay. I met him earlier," said Aqua. "Aeon's a good man. Terra, Ven, and I are gonna do some stargazing tonight. Maybe we'll see that wolf". Hauru's expression turned to one of shock._

"_But... it only shows up once a month," Hauru said. Aqua nodded._

"_I hear it every full moon. Its howls are so beautiful. It makes me wonder what it's trying to say. Maybe it's looking for a friend. Or mourning. Those howls are lovely, but they almost sound kind of sad"._

"_Maybe it wants to be left alone," Hauru said._

"_Want to come with us?"_

"_I can't," Hauru said quickly. "I've got... studying to do. I'm looking into... um... Oh. I'm looking into the history of the Unions of Old..." Hauru hated having to lie to her friends. And friends they were. Over the past year, they had trained together, lived together, and played together. But she could never go with them when the moon was full and had to keep making excuses. She told herself it was for their own safety. That it was to protect them from her, and her from them. But it pained her regardless._

"_You and your books," Aqua said, playfully teasing Hauru and shaking her head. "I guess us girls learn more from books than the boys learn by doing"._

"_I strive for some kind of balance, but... I should go"._

"_Okay. See you later, Hauru". When Hauru had walked far enough. Aqua knelt down to look at the vial that Hauru had dropped. The strange purple liquid looked somewhat familiar. But the blue-haired girl paid it no mind. As the night fell over the Land of Departure, Hauru grew increasingly restless. She paced about, unable to sit still for more than a minute. She had shed her jacket, belt, and corset as she began to feel almost feverish. She could feel her grip on her rage slipping. Aqua... This was her fault. If the mage girl had watched where she was going... Hauru tore her mind from such thoughts. She could not stay inside, not tonight. She had to be out there. To run, to hunt, to... No. She was not an animal. She was a lycan, a chosen of the keyblade. And she was not about to give in to her baser instincts. But she felt so... cooped up in her room. She stormed out, headed for the castle gates. She sped past. Hauru's eyes had become dominated again by the icy blue they always did when she changed._

"_No," Hauru whispered to herself. "Not yet". Hauru ran past the others, a hand clutching at her forehead. Aqua tried to stand to approach her but Hauru left in silence before the others noticed just how much pain she was in. Ven, though, was the curious sort and stood up as Hauru reached the mountain path._

"_Something's up with Hauru," said Ven. "I'm going to see if she needs help". Hauru was doing worse. Her ears had begun to shift and reposition. She had discarded her boots in anticipation of the change to her legs. She cried out as her teeth became those of a vicious predator and her nails became terrifying claws. Hauru caught a familiar scent on the air. It was Ven. Hauru doubled over as her face pushed out into a proper lycan muzzle and her fur began to grow in as her skin turned rough and black. "Hauru!" Ven shouted, getting closer. "what's..." Before he could finish speaking, Hauru turned to face him, her face no longer recognizable as having ever been human. She rose on her changing legs, accompanied by pained growls and sickening crunches as bones broke, healed, and broke again as her legs finished reshaping. Ven was stunned as Hauru let out a terrifying howl that shook him in his very bones._

_Hauru narrowed her gaze on Ven has he began to back away... He felt the creature's eyes on him, as if she was waiting for Ven to run so she could chase him. Ventus did just that, turning around and breaking into a run. He tried to call for help. "Terra!" he shouted. "Help! Hauru..." Before he could finish that sentence, Hauru closed the distance between them, delivering a powerful strike to his back with her claws. Ven stumbled forwards, but quickly rolled onto his back, summoning Wayward Wind just in time to block the Haurus next strike. But Ventus could only hold on for so long. He rose to his feet once again, but Hauru swatted him aside. Ven impacted the nearby rock face with enough force to knock him unconscious. Before Hauru could devour the boy, she was struck in the flank by a massive keyblade. Earthshaker. Terra delivered another blow to the lycan, causing something to break with an audible crunch, and even draw blood. Hauru clutched her wound and stared at Terra, growling menacingly with teeth bared before running off, not wanting a fight with the stronger boy. Terra dismissed Earthshaker and knelt down to pick up Ven and bring him back to the infirmary._

_The next morning, Hauru waited, dressed in all her usual gear, at the training circle. The autumn breeze swept over everything, seeming to calm her down. She had heard that Ven was attacked by some animal, that he had suffered a blow to the head and a claw strike to his back. His injuries were severe, but not life threatening. Hauru could not stand to go in. She did not want to see him. Did not want to face what she had done. No, not her. Her wolf-side. Hauru was taken back to the present when he heard Terra and Aqua walking towards her. She turned to see their expressions sullen, yet hopeful. "How's Ventus?" Hauru asked. "Is he going to be okay?"_

"_He's awake," said Terra. Hauru breathed a sigh of relief. "It'll take some time, but he'll be fine"._

"_They didn't find any… bite wounds, did they?" asked Hauru. Aqua shook her head. Hauru felt as though a mountain had been lifted from her shoulders. She had known, from the stories her mother had told her, that anyone bitten by a lycan was just as likely to die as they were to be turned. But she didn't know which was worse._

"_He told us what attacked him," said Aqua. Hauru's eyes went wide, her expression dominated by shear dread. "He said, 'It was Hauru… but, it wasn't'. It's probably head trauma talking. Maybe when he's recovered some more…"_

"_No," said Hauru. "It was… it was me. Aqua? You remember when you bumped into me yesterday and I dropped that vial?" Aqua nodded. "That would have… that potion would have stopped it from happening. It was under a full moon. Ven… saw me change. I don't remember last night, but from what I heard this morning from Eraqus…"_

"_Hauru," Terra said, placing a hand on her shoulder and staring her down, "what are you saying?" Hauru moved Terra's arm aside_

"_That wolf you kept hearing under the full moon since I got here? That was… it was me. I'm a lycan"._

"_Hauru. You should have told us. We could have found some way to help you. We could have…" Aqua paused. She wasn't sure what to say. Hauru had wounded one of her best friends, but Aqua knew enough about lycans to know that Hauru wasn't in control of her actions. "So that potion…"_

"_Monkshood," Hauru answered. "Diluted to the point that it wouldn't kill me. It only stops my mind from being consumed, and keeps the darkness in my blood out of my heart". Hauru hung her head low. She had hoped the others would never find out, or that she would tell them when the time was right. But here she was, exposed as the monster she knew herself to be. "I can't stay here"._

"_You can," said Aqua. "We can sequester ourselves. Stay inside the castle while you… do whatever it is lycans do under the full moon"._

"_I can't ask you to do that for me," Hauru said._

"_We can chain you up so you don't get loose," Terra suggested. Hauru turned to face Terra with a harsh stare._

"_You did not just suggest that!" She shouted. "We were in chains once. We were slaves to the vampires in what became the Country of Immortals. I won't wear shackles of any sort"._

"_Oh…" was all Terra could say. He had meant well, but Hauru was in no mood to explain the depths of Terra's insensitivity._

"_Go see Ven. He needs you now more than ever. Both of you. I'm going to gather my things and leave. It's for your own good. I'm too dangerous to be around". Terra nodded and headed into the Castle. Aqua laid a hand on Hauru's shoulder._

"_Hauru…"_

"_Just… go see Ven. Trust me when I say you're better off without me here". Hauru moved Aquas hand aside and headed into the castle to gather what little she owned that wasn't already on her person. Hauru never owned more than she could carry. It stopped her from getting too attached to a place. She made her way to the castle gate, preparing to activate her keyblade armor. She hesitated, tears streaming down her face. What she did to Ven… Would they ever forgive her? Could she forgive herself? Hauru began sniffling and noticed another familiar Scent. Master Eraqus was leaning against one of the arches in front of the castle gates._

"_Going somewhere?" He asked. Hauru nodded. "And where is that?"_

"_Anywhere that's not here," Hauru answered, still crying. "I… I can't stay here"._

"_And why is that?"_

"_I just can't. After what happened to Ven…" Hauru paused. She had to think of something. Some way to not implicate herself. But, Eraqus was no fool. And she knew that he would find out anyway not long after she left._

"_Because you're a lycan?" Eraqus asked. Hauru gasped. Shocked beyond measure that he had known. And there was no way Terra or Aqua had told him in so little time. He had to know sooner._

"_How long have you known?" She asked, finally turning to face him._

"_Since a month after you arrived. There was that despondent howling coming from outside, and when I checked your room, you were gone"._

"_But… I locked my door. I…" Eraqus cut Hauru off by summoning his keyblade, Master's Defender. Hauru shot him a look of disapproval._

"_I know. But I was concerned. Do you really have to go?" the Master asked. Hauru nodded, activating her keyblade armor. Eraqus approached Hauru, handing her something. She examined it closely. It was a chain for a keyblade. She saw it in a book once. It had belonged to William Corvinus. He held the chain, but never was able to wield the keyblade. It was thought lost after the Keyblade war. "I found this on a trip to the Keyblade graveyard. It's not quite unique. Fenrir was an uncommon pattern, but multiple wielders used it. But Something tells me you are uniquely advantaged to wield it"._

_Hauru held it tight, summoned her keyblade, and swapped its chain out for Fenrirs. Her keyblade changed. The handguard became heftier, and the blade a bandaged steel that resembled the keys used in pin and tumbler locks rather than the normal skeleton key design favored by many keyblades. She raised Fenrir high, creating a portal to the Lanes Between and hurled Fenrir skyward. Her new glider came to her and she got on it without hesitation. "Remember this before you go," Eraqus said. "You will always be welcome here". Hauru waved goodbye to her master and flew her glider through the portal to the Lanes Between. She cried, knowing her last night at the Land of Departure was such a tragic one._


	5. Chapter 5

The streets of Twilight Town bustled in the early afternoon. People went about their lives, many heading to grab lunch on break from work. The sounds of life threatened to overwhelm Hauru's sensitive ears as she made her way to the train station. She was shaking like a leaf, scared for whatever reason. She kept trying to tell herself it was just two thorns in the Organization's side getting together to let off some steam, but she was afraid it would be more than that. She needed a friend, but if Riku got closer than that, he could get hurt. It only took one mistake to lead to a catastrophe. Riku could meet the same fate as Ventus. No, this could be worse. There would be no Terra to save him if she lost control. Nothing to stop her wolf-side from… Hauru shook her head and told herself not to think about it. There was no point pondering how it could all go wrong before anything even started.

As Hauru rounded the corner to Station Heights, she noticed a faint, but familiar scent. She took a deep breath and followed it up toward Station Plaza, agonizing over what to say, what to do, and what any of it meant. By the time she cleared her head, she had made it to Station Plaza and saw Riku standing near the steps to the station proper. Hauru smiled and ran over, her skirt billowing behind her. Riku, despite his blindfold, saw her and smiled. "Hauru!" he shouted. Hauru came to an abrupt stop once she was within arms-length of the boy. "Good to see you".

"Same here," she said. "Have you thought about what you wanted to do?" Riku paused for thought and Hauru heard his stomach growling.

"I guess we should start with lunch," he said. Hauru nodded in agreement. She wasn't hungry, but she could certainly eat. "I know a place on Sunset Terrace. We can take the train". Hauru smiled and followed Riku through the station and sat beside him on the train before it departed. Hauru started to fidget with her necklace. This didn't escape Riku's notice, even as the train got underway. "What's that?" Hauru stopped and looked up at Riku.

"It… it's been in my family for centuries. Mom passed it on to me before…" Hauru hesitated. She still wasn't sure she could trust Riku enough with her history. She didn't see that much harm, but decided to leave out some details. "She gave it to me before I left the Islands to go train with Master Eraqus at the Land of Departure. There used to be a lot of keyblade wielders running around. So, schools and such were set up to teach them to use it properly and one day become Masters".

"Huh. Interesting. What was it like?"

"When I first got there, I was scared to be so far from home. But the other apprentices helped me a lot. Terra and Aqua were the oldest. Ventus is about my age". Hauru paused, sighing and looking out the window wistfully. "They were like family after a while. Eraqus was like a father to me, and the other apprentices were like my pack…" Riku looked at her, an Eyebrow arched. "I mean… they were the brothers and sisters I wish I had".

"Must've been nice. You guys keep in touch?" Riku asked. Hauru shook her head.

"I… had to leave before I finished my training. I saw them again once after that, but then we… sort of drifted apart". The train came to a stop and Riku lead Hauru through Sunset Terrace. It wasn't long before they reached the spot Riku had mentioned. The restaurant had something of a simplistic charm and outdoor seating, which was important on such a lovely day. Riku lead Hauru to a table and pulled out a seat for her before taking a seat himself across from her. "Well, this place is nice".

"Yeah. DiZ told me about this place. Quiet, out of the way. You said you don't like crowds". A waiter brought some menus over and Hauru smiled. This was the most relaxed she'd felt in a long time.

"Crowds tend to… overwhelm me". Hauru looked over the menu for a moment.

"You mentioned islands," Riku said. "Where are you from?" The waiter came by to take orders. Hauru zoned out for a moment before the waiter got to her. She ordered a rare steak with frites. Once the waiter left, Hauru looked back at Riku.

"Oh. The Destiny Islands, of course".

"I think I'd have remembered you. I was born there, too".

"Well… can I trust you?" Hauru asked. Riku nodded. "I… spent about ten years in the Unchained Realm sometime after I kind of abandoned my training. I say ten years, but it felt more like two weeks. Time moves differently in the Unchained Realm and the Realm of Darkness".

"After that mistake you're still paying for?" Hauru nodded. "Right".

"So… You want to tell me about this friend?" Hauru asked. Riku let out a long sigh as the waiter returned with food and drinks.

"Sora… We've been friends forever. Before the Islands fell to darkness, we were building a raft to try and get to other worlds". Hauru chuckled a bit as she cut into her steak. "How is that funny?"

"It's adorable. That you were going to try and use a raft to get away from home". Hauru took the first bite of her steak and smiled. It was delicious. She'd always preferred rare meats and, on rare occasions, even RAW meat. Even before her first change, her tastes were always different.

"It made sense at the time," Riku said defensively before taking a bite of his sandwich. "Anyway, Sora's… a force of nature. But he was loyal to his friends. And he managed to bring down Maleficent, Chernabog, and Ansem, Seeker of Darkness".

"You know," Hauru said, "I have this friend who said his world was besieged by Chernabog. And you're saying Sora managed to beat the literal embodiment of evil?" Riku nodded. Hauru went wide-eyed. Ansem, Seeker of Darkness was vanquished? Hauru wasn't sure how to feel. On the one handed, a dangerous threat to all worlds was no more. On the other, one of the results of her most horrifying burst of rage was someone else's problem. Cheated. Hauru felt cheated out of chance to do right. But she only learned what she'd REALLY done after she returned to the Realm of light. Maybe she wasn't the one who would end the Organization's plans. If she couldn't, maybe she could help the one who would.

"No offense, but he's our best chance to bring the Organization down".

"So, how do we find him?" Hauru asked, a sparkle in her eye. Riku shook his head.

"We know where he is. We just need him to wake up. And that's been… slow going". Hauru hung her head, almost whimpering. "Naminé is doing what she can, but there's parts of his memory she can't replace".

"I'm so sorry. It can't be easy. Losing a friend like that… It still haunts me". Riku reached over the table and wiped a tear from Hauru's face.

"You lost someone, too?" Asked Riku. Hauru nodded.

"Ventus… and Aqua. Even Terra. I lost all of them. I just…" Hauru started sniffling. "I should have stayed. They wanted to help me. Even after…"

"It's okay," said Riku, trying to reassure her. "It must have been bad. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, Hauru. I'm sorry I… reminded you". Hauru started to feel a little better.

"It's not your fault. The wounds are still fresh". The two finished their meal in relative silence and left as soon as the check was paid. Hauru caught the faint whiff of a familiar scent. There was no mistaking it, but it couldn't be, even after all the years she spent in the Unchained Realm. _Aeon_, she thought. She lead Riku as she followed the scent.

"Hauru! Slow down!" Riku shouted. Suddenly Hauru came to a dead stop. Right in front of the only book store on Sunset Terrace. Of course, he'd be there. "The book store?" Riku asked.

"Yeah. I was almost as bookish as Aqua".

"This place has a lot of old stuff. They like to say their inventory predates the Keyblade War". Hauru smiled. There was no chance Aeon wasn't here. "Want to go inside?" Riku asked. Hauru nodded and they walked right in, the door ringing an old bell. Hauru took in the scent of the place. Musty like old parchment, the scent of aged leather and dust. Knowledge of ages past.

"I'm going to go and browse. I won't be long," Hauru said. Riku nodded and Hauru walked off to start browsing the store. Looking among older, leather-bound manuscripts, she finds one with an old seal she remembered seeing in that vision that haunted her still. An ornate "V" like the ring worn by Lucian's Jailer. Hauru begins idly flipping through it, most of the text reiterated things she already knew. How Lucian was born, that he and his kind were kept in servitude, and how it all went sideways. As she read, the vision came to her again, but she dismissed it with a shake of her head. Aeon's scent was stronger now almost as if…

"Book taking you places?" Aeon asked. Hauru jumped, startled and shut the book abruptly. She didn't hear his approach lost as she was in that vision.

"You could say that," said Hauru. "It's... kind of intense. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I frequent bookstores in search of new and interesting tomes," Aeon answered. "What about you, lass?"

"Oh. I'm... kind of on a... a date," Hauru answered, unable to hide her blushing face.

"I saw him, a very handsome lad, if a bit peculiar in his dress sense".

"It's safer for him when he travels. The blindfold keeps his own darkness in check… somehow," Hauru said, rubbing the back of her neck. "I'm still no closer to finding out whether Lucian even HAS descendants. Or if I'm one of them. But maybe I can find some kind of manual for being a lycan so I can finally get off the Monkshood".

"It's a good place to look. You know, you might check to see if Ansem wrote anything on the subject," said Aeon matter-of-factly.

"I'm not sure how much of his texts survived after Xehanort ransacked his lab". Aeon looked around and grabbed one of the few books in that section with a paper jacket.

"Ah, try this one," Aeon said, handing the book to Hauru. She took one look at the title and looked quizzically at Aeon.

"A Treatise on the Shadow? What does this have to do with being a lycan?" Aeon looked at Hauru with a smile.

"Everything," he said, laying a hand on Hauru's shoulder. "Enjoy the rest of your date". Aeon walked off to get a coffee and Hauru returned to Riku's side. "You'll have to tell him eventually, Hauru," Aeon said from the café.

"About what?" Riku asked. Hauru blushed harder than she ever had in her life before then.

"Oh, nothing. Just my crippling arts and crafts addiction". Riku nodded and Hauru walked up to the counter to pay but when she opened her munny pouch, it was empty. Riku quickly paid for Hauru's purchase and smiled at her. Hauru consigned herself to the fate of doing some odd jobs around town. With her purchase in hand and a smile on her face, Hauru left the book store with Riku close behind. Hauru took the book out of the bag and looked at it again. Not sure what to feel.

"What exactly did I pay for?" Riku asked. Hauru looked up at him, a contended expression on her face.

"Oh. 'A Treatise on the Shadow'. It should help me with that darkness in my blood". Riku nodded and took hauru's hand in his own. They spent the next few hours wandering around Sunset Terrace, seeing the sights and talking about friends, family, their travels. Even their experiences dealing with the Organization. Before either of them knew it, it was almost dusk. The two walked up to Sunset Hill. "I'll admit," said Hauru, "This was a wonderful day. Easily my best first date". Hauru immediately covered her mouth.

"Yeah. Best date I've ever been on. Well, only one. But this'll be hard to top". Hauru smiled, reaching for Riku's hand as the sun got lower and lower.

"I'm glad you think so. So, does this mean we're a couple now?" Hauru asked. Riku smiled and drew Hauru into a tender embrace before the setting sun.

"You tell me". Hauru held Riku close, resting her head on his chest. She felt so warm, so alive. She had been alone for so long, but her heart was heavy, weighed down by the fear that Hauru felt. The fear of how he'd react when he learned the truth of what she was. But for now, in the moment, she felt she could forget her fears. Forget the pain she had to deal with. And forget the friends she had to leave behind. As the sun finally set and the sky was a beautiful red, Hauru looked up at Riku and then, on instinct, threw her head back and let loose a long, lupine howl. "What was that?" Riku asked. Hauru's eyes went wide, and she blushed with embarrassment.

"Oh, it's… umm… I do that whenever I'm really happy".

"You weren't raised by wolves, were you?" Hauru laughed and shook her head.

"Not as far as I know. Unless…" Hauru shook her head again. "Nevermind. We have to do this more often".

"Agreed. I should go rest. You should to, Hauru". Riku said. Hauru smiled and stood on her tiptoes to give Riku a tender kiss on the cheek before walking away, clutching her book close to her chest. As the sun set completely, she held her book in one hand to examine it. A chill wind rushed past Hauru and the book jacket came a bit loose. Hauru decided to take the jacket off and toss it into a nearby wastebin. The book she held really did have everything to do with her nature.

"A Concise Treatise on the Lycan Strain of the Corvinus Virus and it's Relationship to the Heart by Ansem the Wise," Hauru read aloud. "Alexandrus Aeon, I owe you so many sandwiches". Hauru walked with an unusual skip in her step. For the first time since she wounded Ventus, she felt that things were finally looking up.


	6. Chapter 6

Hauru let out a long sigh and reclined back in her chair. She had an interesting month to say the least. She had met thrice more with Riku, and much of her time besides had been spent in battle with Heartless and Nobodies. Her most recent date ended a bit earlier than intended, since she had lost track of the time. Their last date ended when she ran off the second the sun set. She found herself now in Halloween Town, which was mercifully empty of any nobodies. It was a substantial risk, given that the moon over Halloween Town was ALWAYS full whenever it rose, but Dr. Finklestein was a brilliant man, and Hauru figured that he would at least be willing to help find a way to stop the change entirely until she could learn to control herself. Finklestein gladly accepted the challenge, out of his own scientific curiosity if nothing else, and let Hauru stay at his lab. He also had a lab table with built-in restraints. As much as Hauru loathed the idea, she knew her options were limited. And the peace of mind was worth the hit to her pride. It was that pride that caused her to recoil at Terra's suggestion of being chained up once a month. She had always known that Ansem the Wise was a remarkable scientist, even as the ruler of Radiant Garden. The upside of that was that his notes on his studies, the published ones at any rate, tended to be thorough. Unfortunately, it also meant a lot to read through. She went back to the book.

_The Corvinus Virus is, in and of itself, a fascinating phenomenon unique to the Country of Immortals. Four strains are known to exist. In its purest form, the strain grants the host true immortality. The werewolf strain is known to be mostly extinct, with only one host known to live. That being one William Corvinus, the Father of All Werewolves. The vampire strain, born within Marcus Corvinus, is the most difficult to properly study, given the insistence of vampires to conceal themselves. My first attempt to approach their coven resulted in me being attacked by dogs. The local lycan clan was far more forthcoming and decided to let me take four volunteers…_

Hauru's attention was torn away from her reading by the sound of shattering glass. She turned to face the source of the sound. Her sensitive nose smelled disinfectant and a number of other chemicals. The combination smelled like something burning. "Blast it, girl! Now look what you've done," Finklestein shouted. His creation, Sally, was a kind and patient girl, but also somewhat clumsy. "Now we'll have to start all over again".

"I'm sorry. What should I tell Hauru?" Sally asked, picking up the pieces of the flask.

"That she'll have to deal with the change tonight. Again. Still can't think of a reason she'd want to stop it. A good reason, anyway". The two acted as though they were out of earshot. Had Hauru been human, they might have been. As soon as Sally entered Hauru's field of vision, Hauru held out a finger to silence Sally.

"I heard you. You should know my hearing is well beyond even yours. I am a lycan". Hauru tried to get back to her reading. "Just do what you have to. I don't want you to rush this". Sally nodded and Hauru flipped a few pages over.

_Despite being descended from the werewolf species spawned by William Corvinus, lycans have little in common with their forebearers. Chief among differences is the ability to return to their human forms. Younger lycans are, as far as I have observed thus far, forced into their wolf form by the full moon. However, the exact reasons for this are unknown. Older lycans told me of the use of, frankly, inhumane devices known as "moon shackles" that were used by the vampires to keep lycans in their human forms._

Hauru turned the page to reveal a sketch of the device mentioned. Silver spikes on the inside pointed toward the neck of the wearer. Regardless of how effective it might be, Hauru would never be caught dead in such a thing. Dr. Finklestein rolled up behind her and Hauru turned to face him as he stared at the sketch. "Now that looks like it would work. Would be far easier to build than any chemical option".

"It's also a symbol of everything Lucian fought against. I am willing to let you and Sally keep me restrained here, but a moon shackle is out of the question," Hauru snapped. "Besides being inhumane, it's humiliating. I might as well hang a sign around my neck that says, 'Hi. I'm a dangerous animal'. And I am not okay with that".

"Seems better than hurting someone when the wolf takes over if you ask me," Finklestein said in his usual dry and clinical tone. Hauru glared at Finklestein.

"I don't have time to explain the story of my people, doctor. Now please let me get back to my reading". Hauru turned back to the text and the good doctor left her again to her own devices. The early morning light helped. A lot.

_Usually, a lycan's control over their transformation is proportional to their age. At a minimum, lycans can learn to prevent the change under a full moon without the use what's known as the "anti-change enzyme". How this control is achieved differs between individual lycans, but only comes after lycans have learned to control themselves in their wolf forms. The rage brought during…_

Hauru slammed her head against the desk. And groaned loud enough to distract Sally. She got up and took another look at the text before her. "If this is what Ansem calls a 'Concise Treatise', I'd hate to see what he calls a 'Thorough Examination'. Hopefully there's an index". Hauru flipped back to the beginning of the book. Another blessing of Ansem being so thorough took the form of a well thought out index. Hauru looked it over and managed to find a section labeled "control techniques". She quickly flips to that section and starts reading.

_To control themselves in wolf form, lycans have developed several techniques to mitigate their rage during the transformation and keep their composure while in their wolf form. This section details some of those techniques that my volunteers shared._

"Score!" Yelled Hauru. This was it. What she needed. She took a moment to laugh at the bitter irony. Ansem had written the book before her while she was wandering the worlds alone. She could have had it after any of her trips to Radiant Garden. But she never even thought that anybody around her even knew what a lycan was.

_The most effective method I have observed for retaining control of themselves during and after the transformation is affectionately called, "Emotional Anchoring". It involves holding on to one's humanity and reason by focusing on those they care about, those they wish to protect, or anything to keep their mind occupied during the change. Focusing on the pain tends to heighten the rage of the subject. This technique is all the more effective when the subject is holding on to a trinket that bears the scent of loved ones. It has been shown to have a wonderful calming effect that soothes the savage nature of a changed lycan with ease. Of course, it also helps not to undergo the transformation on an empty stomach, but…_

Hauru took out the wayfinder that Riku made for her during their last date. He game upon some scrap metal and old stained glass and fashioned a rather lovely charm out of it. He used blue glass that matched her eyes and at its center was a replica of the Fenrir charm. It was something he'd made just for her. Something he crafted by hand. And even this long after he had, it still carried his wonderful scent. The necklace she wore served more as a physical reminder of her mother, but Venra's scent lingered. She had her anchors. Her beloved, whom she could not think to harm. Her mother, whom she left in order to protect. Hauru closed her book and finally stood up. Knowing at long last what had to be done. This, however, did not escape the notice of Dr. Finkelstein. He rolled up to Hauru as she put her book into her satchel. "Going somewhere?" he asked. Hauru simply nodded.

"I need to find somewhere else to change before nightfall. Keep working on that anti-change potion, okay?"

"Of course. Let it never be said I backed down from a scientific challenge". Hauru gave the doctor a smile and walked out of the lab. The afternoon sun still hung in the sky as she made her way out of the town itself to the hinterlands. It occurred to her that she'd never seen the area surrounding Halloween Town before. And it was just as eerie as the town itself. The landscape dotted by gravestones and the trees gnarled and twisted. It was clear that there was no prey to be found. She went further out, to a place the locals called the Hinterlands. A rather curious tree caught her attention. A tree fitted with a door that looked almost like...

"A Christmas tree?" She asked aloud to nobody. She had an idea. Having heard stories of Christmas Town and an event known only as "The Incident", she thought that maybe a winter realm would be a better place to change safely. Perhaps the cold snow could even help with the pain associated with her transformation. Hauru took a deep breath and opened the door. She stepped inside and immediately started falling, her screams echoing throughout the tunnel she found herself trapped in. After what felt like at least a half-hour, Hauru fell onto her front in freshly fallen snow. With a frustrated groan, Hauru got up and dusted herself off, already shivering. "So cold. So freakin' cold. Alright. Gotta find somewhere nice to change before the moon rises. Assuming it's full every night here, too".

The lights and sounds from a nearby town immediately captured her attention. There was no mistaking it from not only the sight, but the wonderful scents as well. Hauru smiled and ran toward Christmas Town as the sun only just began to set. It had been a long time since Hauru had last experienced the winter. And she thought, perhaps, that the cold snow might even help ease the pain of successive transformations. Assuming that Christmas Town was ALSO stuck with a perpetually full moon. Hauru spotted the house in the center of town and ran to its door. She was certain that such a large house must belong to whoever is in charge in Christmas Town. She knocked three times on the green door and waited for an answer. The door opened, revealing a fairly rotund figure in a red coat with white fure trim and a VERY long beard. It was clear to Hauru who this could be. "Ooooh Ho ho hooooooly mother of God!", the figure shouted before slamming the door. Hauru sighed and knocked on the door again. When the door opened, it was still attached to the locking chain.

"Excuse me. Are you Santa Claus?" Hauru asked nervously.

"Of course, I am," he said. "You Hallowierdos got your gawking in last year".

"No. I'm not from Halloween Town," Hauru explained. "I guess you could call me an off-worlder". The door shut again and Hauru heard the chain sliding off its rail and the door swung fully open again. Santa's expression softened a bit.

"I'm sorry, then. It's just that I've been especially wary of anyone with a similar dress sense ever since..." Santa's expression turned distant and somber, "the incident". Suddenly, his expression softened again. "But please, come on in. You must be freezing". Hauru nodded and crossed the threshold into Santa's home. "I hope you like gingersnaps. The Misses is always refining her recipe". Santa gestured to a plate of them laid out and Hauru grabbed a handful. They had always been her favorite. And the first bite was wonderful. Not since she left home had she tasted gingersnaps this good. She devours the rest of her handful in short order before coming to the living room. "Would you like some hot coco, young miss?" Hauru looked out the window. The sun was still over the horizon, but slowly creeping lower. She turned back to Santa and nodded while he had one of his elves make a mug for his guest.

"What's that on the table?" Hauru asked, pointing to the partially unrolled scroll. Santa took a seat in front of it and held it before him.

"That's the Nice List. I was working on it before you knocked. Do you want to see if you're on it?" Hauru nodded enthusiastically. This wasn't exactly why she was there, but she figured there was no harm in it. "Okay, then. What's your name?"

"It's Hauru. Hauru Corvinus". Santa's eyes went wide for a moment, his expression suggesting he knew the name "Corvinus" all too well. Santa put on his reading glasses.

"Let's see then. Hauru... Hauru... Ah! There you are. You're on the nice list. You've been most of your life. You've only ever been on the naughty list once. Do you know why?" Hauru looked down, a somber expression on her face as an elf brings her a mug of coco.

"That night... In the Land of Departure. The full moon. When I... almost killed Ventus..." Hauru sighs and sips at her coco.

"Heavens, no. Are you still beating yourself up over that?" Santa asked. Hauru looked up with a confused expression.

"I. Almost. Killed. Ventus," Hauru said, slowly.

"Yes, but you weren't you when it happened," Santa said. "It genuinely wasn't your fault. No. The only time you were on the naughty list was when you were four. Do you remember why?" Hauru sighed.

"The end table?" Hauru asked. Santa nodded.

"Yes. You broke it, and then you lied about it to your mother. You really should apologize". Santa set his list down and removed his reading glasses. "But you do seem… troubled. The life of a lycan isn't easy, is it?" Hauru shook her head.

"It gets really lonely sometimes. But… I'll get the hang of it. Better than being a vampire, I imagine. I don't think their kind make the Nice List all to often". Santa shook his head and gestured to a jet-black scroll in a glass case.

"They get a special list all their own".

"Anyway. I… wanted to ask you a favor. I'm trying to learn to control myself in my wolf form. Is the moon always full here?"

"It is. Makes it easier to work at night".

"Perfect. I just need a secure area to change". Santa stroked his beard and smiled to Hauru.

"We have an old practice for the Reindeer. It's fenced in and it's designed to deal with flying creatures, so not much risk you'll escape. But… Whay about the… appetite that such a change brings about."

"How much ham can you spare?"

"As much as you need," Santa told her. "Theo is always working on new recipes". Hauru smiled and finishes her coco. Santa stood up lead Hauru out into the cold twilight of Christmas Town and walked with Hauru to the practice field. The sun had set by then and Santa opened the gate for Hauru. Once Hauru was inside, she gestured for Santa to close the door and lock it. Hauru pulled out one of her Monkshood Potions. The last one she had. The last one she ever wanted to have to use. Hauru looked at it and held it up to the fading light as the sun began to set. Darkness filled the sky of Christmas Town and she uncorked the bottle before pouring it on the snow. The moon, perpetually full in this world, rose over the horizon. As her irises turned a pale blue and expand outwards against dark blue sclera. The first change of however many she would have to go through before she could control her wolf self.

The change this time seemed quicker, less painful, if only very slightly. Almost as if the monkshood wasn't so much keeping the wolf in check as much as it was holding her back from her true potential. Hauru fell to her hands and knees until she had finished her transformation. Her teeth sharpened and lengthened, skin changing to a very dark grey as her boots disappeared to accommodate her changing feet. Fur grew in, claws grew from her digits, and her face pushed out while her ears shifted. The whole time, Hauru focused on the scents of her mother and her beloved. And when it was over, she rose to her changed feet and let loose a mighty, echoing howl. The rage was still there, but further away. Hauru was surprised. For the first time, without her monkshood potion, her mind was mostly her own. It was a start, but a long overdue step in the right direction.


	7. Chapter 7

_Hauru ran through the market crowd at Radiant Garden, tears streaming from her eyes. She didn't know where to go, who to talk to, or even what to say. The tragedy she witnessed not long ago impacted her so that it was nothing short of a miracle she was able to get to Radiant Garden. Eventually she ran into the familiar robed figure of Alexandrus Aeon. He was his usual happy self. "Oh hello, young one. Did you come here for a sandwich, too?" Hauru had no words for the man. She was visibly shaken, and the tears kept flowing. The poor thing was a weeping mess. Aeon dabbed at her cheeks with the sleeve of his robe. "Hey, hey... Deep breaths, Hauru". Hauru took some deep breaths, hoping to calm herself and her racing heart. "That's better. Now, what's gotten you all bent out of shape?"_

"_We... should find somewhere to sit down". Hauru was still sniffling as Aeon lead her over to a vacant bench. A perfect place for the pair to rest. Hauru, as she often did, clutched at her necklace. She did this as if it's second owner was giving her strength. Wherever he was, however distant the connection, she couldn't deny who had once held it._

"_Whenever you're ready, Hauru". Aeon laid a hand on Hauru's shoulder and smiled. Hauru let out a long sigh._

"_Not far from here, a few days ago, I ran into them again. My friends from the Land of Departure. Ven, Aqua, Terra..."_

"_They were never going to give up on you"._

"_Well... They begged me to go back to Master Eraqus. And Ventus... He actually forgave me. Told me it wasn't my fault. I... just came from there. The Land of Departure. And what I saw..." Hauru had to fight back tears, but it was not enough. Not even remotely. And tears flowed freely down her face again. But she fought hard to say the words. "Master Eraqus... He was struck down"._

"_Now that is solemn news indeed. What happened?"_

"_Ven demanded to know if he was some kind of weapon. Then, Eraqus summoned his keyblade and said, 'so now you know the truth. I'm afraid I can't allow you to live, either'. But Terra stepped in, and he gave in to the darkness in him to fight Eraqus. But... He was just trying to protect Ven, but instead... He struck Master Eraqus down. Then Xehanort showed up. The REAL Xehanort. Not the one who saved me. I fled before he could see me. And now I'm here". Hauru began to cry again, burying her face in her hands._

"_Your friends will need you now more than ever," Aeon said. Hauru simply shook her head._

"_I'd just get in their way. I couldn't save Eraqus..."_

"_No negative self-talk, young lady. You're stronger than you think"._

"_You need to tell someone. About Eraqus... and Terra"._

"_You can be sure that I will. Eraqus was one of us. I will reach out to my order. And, doubtless, Master Yen Sid will need to made aware of this". Hauru smiled a bit, but then just looked out into the distance._

"_If Ven hadn't seen me change... If I hadn't left... Maybe Eraqus would still be alive," she said._

"_Maybe he would have tripped and fallen down a flight of stairs. Perhaps he'd have gotten sick. You can't torture yourself with 'what ifs' and 'maybes', child". Hauru looked Aeon dead in the eye, her expression now harsh and serious._

"_Being a lycan is nothing but 'what ifs' and 'maybes'. I'll keep using it as I need to. But the keyblade made a mistake, choosing me"._

As the sky over Beast's Castle turned a deep crimson red, Hauru suddenly began to get concerned. Maybe he wouldn't show up. Hauru walked through the castle courtyard, past the gardens where she used to pilfer monkshood. He would come. She knew he would. She didn't put herself through the hell that is her transformation seven nights in a row for him not to come. Hauru looked again at her hand. As the sun began to drop lower and lower, she saw the shadow of a cloaked figure approach, and smelled the familiar scent of her homeworld. She smiled and ran to him, embracing him tightly. "Riku," she said. "You're here". Riku nodded, and placed his hand on her cheek. Hauru felt her nerves burn as the ring he wore touched her face and she instantly recoiled.

"Hauru, what's wrong?" Riku asked. Hauru turned back to face him, the spot where the ring touched her still red, like a burn or a rash.

"I'm fine. I'll be fine," She said, seeming to dismiss his concerns. "You're ring... It's silver, isn't it?" Riku nodded. "I'm just... extremely allergic".

"Let me take a look". Riku approached Hauru and took a closer look at her cheek. It wasn's a rash, not as far as he could tell. "Jeez, Hauru. This isn't normal. It burned you". Hauru sighed and took a step back from Riku.

"No... you're right. It's not normal. There's a reason I asked you to meet me here tonight. There's... something I've been meaning to tell you about me". Hauru walked toward the center of the courtyard and Riku followed. Hauru let out a long sigh and looked up. It was getting darker. It would be time soon. Time for the ultimate test of their relationship so far. Two months together, and this would make or break it. "It took me a long time to get to this point. This... secret of mine. It'll change us forever".

"Hauru," said Riku, stepping closer and laying a hand on Hauru's shoulder. "Whatever it is, you can tell me. Does it... have anything to do with why you ran off as soon as the sun set four weeks ago?" Hauru nodded.

"The thing is... I could tell you, but you wouldn't believe me. You wouldn't understand". Hauru stared into Riku's eyes, then closed hers and turned away. She couldn't let him see her cry. Leaving home, leaving her fellow apprentices. These didn't weigh as heavily as the task before her now. "This is one of those things... that you have to see to believe. So, I'm going to tell you, and then..." Hauru looked to the sky again. She could already feel it. Something pulling at her blood. "You'll have... maybe five to seven minutes to come to terms with it. Before the full moon rises and you'll see for yourself". Hauru clenched her right fist tightly, already shaking. Whether from nerves or the impending change, she couldn't say. But it was now or never. "The thing is... I ran off because... It was going to be a full moon that night. And I didn't want you to see what it did to me. Not until I could control myself... Because... I'm a lycan". Riku was stunned, not sure quite how to react. "You might not know what that is... and I'll explain everything tomorrow I promise. If you meet me at Sunset Hill tomorrow afternoon. Now... I need you to understand. No matter what you see, it's still me. You'll be totally safe. But... I need you to promise me you won't run".

To Hauru's surprise, Riku ran up and hugged her close. "I promise," he whispered into her ear.

"I mean it," Hauru said, still shaking nervously. "No matter what you see, no matter how scared you get, no matter how much you think you're... Grrrrr! In a nightmare..." Hauru snarled at Riku, eyes closed and head tilted down. Riku noticed that her canines and incisors had already grown longer and sharper. Hauru looked up at him and opened her eyes to reveal her massive pale blue irises with blue sclera to highligt them even more. "You... You can't run..."

"H...Hauru" Riku said, his face dominated by a fearful expression. "Your eyes..."

"Not... my biggest problem... right now!" she yelled. Her voice was changing to. Riku helped her down as she doubled over in pain. Already, her skin was starting to darken in patches, turning a dark grey. she could feel her bones and joints shifting and adjusting. Her boots disappeared right in time for the expected changes in her feet to take place. She dragged her claws across the stone floor below her. "This is... Grrrrr... rhar! This is normal... for... me". Riku stroked Hauru's hair hoping do something to ease her pain. Her ears began to change shape and position, and she starts to develop her black pelt. Her skin had completely changed to the dark gray most common in shifted lycans and she could already feel her face starting to push out. Riku was terrified. He had to be, but he was still holding on to Hauru, still stroking her head and, once the ring had been removed, stroking the side of her face as she whined and whimpered through one of the worst parts of the change.

"It's okay... It's okay. I'm right here. And I'm not going anywhere. Not until I know you'll be safe". All she could do at that point was cry. Tears of joy that Riku, despite witnessing the horror of the change, was willing to remain by her side. The sickening pops and crunches finally ceased. She shoved Riku away and stood up on her own two legs. She was taller than Riku now, maybe by a half of a foot. "Hauru? Is... is that still you?" Hauru nodded, looking back at him with eyes of such a brilliant blue. "Alright. Tomorrow. Sunset Hill. I'll be there". Hauru gestured for Riku to leave and she stood in awe. Of herself, finally in control of her wolf form without resorting to that monkshood calming draught and free at last to use the fullest of the strength that her wolf form would allow. Of Riku, for staying with her even through such a terrifying time. As Riku cleared her line of sight, Hauru turned her gaze to the forest around the castle. The scents and sounds, once a little muted by the monkshood weakning her senses were now so much more vivid and clear. She let loose a joyous howl and leapt clearover the castle walls. It was time to see just what her wolf form could really do.


	8. Chapter 8

"_Mommy!" cried the 9-year-old Hauru, charging into Venra's room. "Mommy!" She nudged at Venra's sleeping form until she awoke. Venra was roused from sleep with a long yawn. She finally looked down to see little Hauru with tears in her eyes and sniffling._

"_What's wrong, pup? Hauru, tell me what happened". Venra scooped Hauru up and held her close._

"_I had a nightmare. I saw this… this castle. And a woman tied up. When the sun hit her… it looked like it hurt a lot. And she had sharp pointy teeth… A man was chained up. I guess they forced him to… She looked just like you. And had the same necklace…"_

"_Shh Shh. It's okay. It was…" Venra paused. She wondered whether it was time to tell her. No. Not yet. There was still time for her to be a child. Venra rationalized in her mind that it would be cruel to tell her before her first change. "It was just from that book I read you. It was just a nightmare"._

_"But… it felt so real. I saw it like I was there…"_

"_Dreams can often feel real, little one. But they're not. I'm right here. Nothing's happened. Maybe the Tragedy of the Crownless King was a little advanced for you". Hauru nodded._

"_Can… can I sleep in your bed tonight?"_

"_Of course, sweetie. Remember. It's just a nightmare from an old story". _

Just a nightmare from an old story. Her mother's words so many years ago. She wished it was all a nightmare. There were still nights she would go to sleep and wish she would wake up in her bed back on the Destiny Islands, but that never came. As she stood on Sunset Hill in Twilight town, she started to wonder if the night before really happened the way it did. For one, she remembered everything from before and after the change, which used to be the case only with the aid of her monkshood calming drought. She felt almost cheated. As though gaining control of herself was a little too easy even with Ansem's treatise on her kind. But such was life, sometimes. She grew concerned, for the second time in as many days, that Riku would not show up. That her little show of her true nature frightened him away. She sighed, ready to find somewhere to post up for the rest of the day when she caught the whiff of a familiar scent. The scents of her homeworld. HIS scent. She then spotted him making the ascent to meet her.

"You… you're here," Hauru said, the surprise as clear on her face as could be. She expected the last night to have been a dream, or some sick joke. But no. Here he was. His face, his scent, it was real. He was real.

"Just like you told me to be". Riku seemed calm. Calmer than he should have been after seeing his girlfriend transform into a horrifying wolf-beast. Had he known the whole time? No. That could not be it. Maybe that howl on their first date gave it away. But there was a lot more history that he needed to know. Maybe he thought she was a werewolf. A common enough mistake. Most humans didn't know the difference. Aqua was the only one to know right when Hauru told her.

"I know. I just didn't expect you to show up after seeing me… change".

"Well," Riku said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "I knew there was something different about you. I just didn't think you were… well, a werewolf". And there it was. Hauru shot Riku an accusing look and had to fight to stop herself from growling at him.

"Lycan. Not werewolf. Werewolves are savage monsters unable to return to human form ever again. Lycans… we have the luxury of changing back. You better remember that".

"Right," said Riku, "duly noted".

"Sorry. It's just… I have to find my humanity where I can".

"It can't be easy. Going through that every time the moon's full". Hauru actually smiled and held Riku close.

"It used to be worse. Before I learned to control it, I'd have torn you apart and probably eaten you without my calming drought". Riku suddenly went stiff and Hauru could swear all the color left his skin. She laughed and stepped back from him and his color seemingly returned. Perhaps he thought she was joking. She was relieved to see that he wasn't wearing the ring that burned her the night before. He really did care. "So... you probably have questions. I'll answer them as best I can".

"So... how'd you become a... a lycan?"

"I was born one. Mom didn't say much about my dad, so it's fair enough to assume he's a lycan since mom was human. Unless..."

"So, you weren't given the curse by a bite or something?" Hauru shook her head.

"It's not a curse. It's... more like a... well, it's a virus. And a lycan bite is more likely to kill someone than turn them. You have to have a strong constitution to survive infection. You might turn, or die inside of an hour".

"Right. And the ring? Silver allergy also a lycan thing?" Hauru nodded.

"Fatal if it gets inside us, in most cases. But it takes a lot more than people think..." Hauru's expression changed. She was suddenly a bit more fearful. At range, the biggest threat to her was Xigbar. Organization XIII's No. II. The Freeshooter. Silver was a threat to Hauru and other lycans, but only if enough of it is put in or left in long enough. Better to not tell Riku that. If he was ever captured or interrogated, that information could reach Xigbar, whose arrowguns could potentially be modified with the necessary properties to bring Hauru down for good. It was certainly a good thing that Vexen was gone. He would likely have known about the weakness inherent to Hauru's kind. "And that's all I'll say about that".

"Okay... where exactly do lycans come from. Closest thing I've seen is The Beast, and he's more like a werewolf, apparently". Hauru let out a long sigh. The tricky question comes at last. The one Hauru did not know how to properly answer since she had only read about her kind's homeworld. Most descriptions were not exactly kind.

"I've never been there," Hauru said. "My father came from there, and it's the site of a war that's been raging for almost six centuries. A blood-feud between my kind and vampires. At least that's what Aeon said".

"Aeon?" Riku asked. Hauru nodded. "Who's that? Old friend?"

"Older than you know. I met him before I exiled myself to the Unchained Realm. He was the guy from the book store who said I'd have to tell you eventually. He's... not the easiest person to get to know. But he's a good man, all things considered. His order hunted werewolves, so it was always going to be a gamble speaking to him. He knew the difference and told me about the lycans' birthplace. And the war that still rages on there". Hauru froze for a bit, remembering the nightmares she used to have. "It started a long time ago. The few histories I found mention a doomed love affair between a lycan slave and a vampire noble. She was killed and the lycans broke free, only for their newly-acquired castle to be burned down. The lycans were scattered and leaderless as a result, without Lucian. And that was a long time before the Keyblade War tore the world asunder and left the worlds we know now".

"Keyblade War?"

"Xehanort's obsession. You'll likely find out soon enough". Hauru sighed again. Just saying Xehanort's name conjured up all manner of painful memories. Hauru was following his trail, discovered the things he'd done. And when she finally confronted him in Radiant Garden... A tear ran down Hauru's cheek. She didn't want to remember what he'd done to her friends, what she did to him as retribution... Riku saw the look on her face and pulled Hauru in close for a tender embrace.

"It's okay. I'm right here... and I promise you, I won't be going anywhere. It couldn't have been easy, letting me into your world like you did last night, but I'm glad you trusted me. Really. You don't have to suffer alone anymore. But... Why did you decide to tell me?"

"Because... Because I didn't want to risk hurting you if I ever had to run off like I did that one time. I didn't want to lie to you. I needed you to see all of me, not just one side. And I'm glad I did. That you accept me. All of me". Hauru started to cheer up and she pulled away from Riku, leading him away from the hill by the hand to walk together along Sunset Terrace.

"So, can I ask something?" Riku asked. Hauru looked at him and nodded. "What's it like? The change?"

"Are you sure you want to know? It's not pretty. I mean... you saw it, so... Okay. Promise you're not going to leave me over it?"

"I promise."

"Okay. So, when there's a full moon on the way, I feel something... magnetic in the air. It's like being watched and the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. And as the day goes on, that feeling gets more and more intense". Hauru looked to Riku to gauge his reaction. So far, he seemed more intrigued than horrified. Good sign. "Then... it gets to the point in the sky where the change is just... unavoidable and it feels like something is pulling at my blood".

"So, where do you feel it first? In your bones?" Hauru shook her head.

"No. First, I feel it in my joints. They all start popping at once, like how you crack your knuckles. And that's when it starts. It varies from moon to moon, but the pain never goes away. It's gotten less painful only recently. About half-way though, my senses start to pick up even more and that can be a little overwhelming. And when it's over, I look up. And I see the full moon. Bigger and brighter than I ever have. But the transformation is the worst part of it, by far".

"So," said Riku, "what's the best? There has to be something good about it or you'd have lost your mind ages ago".

"Well, there are some... benefits to it. First off, my human form is stronger, faster, and tougher than a normal human or other keyblade wielders. My senses are even more attuned. My sense of smell especially. I know you're around before I even see you most of the time. You smell like home." The comment made Riku blush and Hauru giggled to herself a bit. It was just that cute. "And while I'm changed... running around on all fours is actually pretty exhilarating. I move so much faster and feeling the wind in my fur is just the best. Honestly, the nights I have to spend in that form aren't too bad. Most of the time they're just... kinda lonely".

"Well, maybe next time, I could keep you company the whole night. Or you could spend it with me in the old mansion now that you can control yourself".

"Okay," said Hauru. "Just remember. In that form, I'm not a pet".


	9. Chapter 9

Twilight Town was starting to look a lot busier. More people were walking around and living their lives. It made sense why. Hauru could feel it. Summer had officially begun. And with it, Summer Vacation. School was out, and it showed. She could control her werewolf form almost completely, but certain quirks remained from her days before that younger Xehanort sent her to Eraqus's doorstep. Certain habits that would take time to break. Those habits formed for a reason, though. Before she learned to control herself, she was dangerous. Even with the monkshood calming drought, she would rather not have her true nature become public knowledge on any world. The whole day, though, Hauru felt like she was being watched. She kept picking up an unfamiliar scent. Like the Heartless, but faint. Something you'd have to focus on to notice. But every time she did. It had gone away as quick as it appeared.

Hauru tried to get it out of her head as she rode the train out of Sunset Terrace back to Station Plaza. After all, her true nature aside, there wasn't much she could think of about herself that would draw much interest. She began to fidget with her necklace. That meeting with Riku could have gone a lot worse, if Hauru was being honest. He could have decided to leave her, or just not show up. But that left one more person who knew what she was. She knew she could trust him. She had to. If their relationship was going to work, there couldn't be any secrets between them. She worried she was rushing into this relationship, that it was too soon to show him her true nature. The train stopped at Central Station and Hauru was again torn from her musings. Hauru walked out into the afternoon sun once more amid the people walking all over Station Plaza, but it felt nice. Like a weight had been lifted. Ever since her first change, being a lycan felt like a curse and nothing besides. With the control she gained, it seemed there might be more to it.

"Can't you see this is a gift I'm giving you?" The voice was unfamiliar. But try as she might, she couldn't pinpoint the source. The thick accent and arrogant tone sent a shiver down her spine. Hauru shrugged it off. Again she smelled the unfamiliar scent of whatever was watching her, but she paid it no mind. She wanted to see the town, now that she had time to. She made her way to Station Heights, still wondering where that voice had come from? Was it a manifestation of another memory? Was it from her father? She couldn't say for sure. She wanted to clear her head. It had to be a memory. Nothing else. From her father? The lycan that turned him? And why could she merely hear it and see it as she had with some others. Could it be that going off the calming draught meant she would be getting more of these memories?

"All I was saying was that you can't take criticism," said a voice coming from a nearby ally. It was a boy's voice. But it almost sounded distressed.

"So I can't take criticism huh? That's rich coming from you, you do-nothing punk". A fight was going to break out. Hauru began to run toward the voice when she heard another in her mind, the same as before.

"You have stung me, lycan, with your betrayal". The same voice. Haughty and arrogant. Like the one she heard at Central Station moments ago. Hauru gasped and took a quick turn toward the alley. She saw a short boy in a red Dog Street jersey and a girl with brown hair and green eyes. The two were watching, helpless as the blonde boy in camo pants was being struck repeatedly with a struggle bat by an ill-tempered boy in a white coat and black hat. Each blow registered in hauru's mind with the sound of a cracking whip.

"The reviews are in! You're full of it". The ill tempered boy was not alone. A rather muscular boy with a padded Struggle Staff and a waifish girl with silver hair and red eyes what wielded a rather large Chakram. Hauru waited from a distance, wondering how it would play out.  
"Stop this," said a voice in her head. A different one. A man, but calmer and more measured. "He is one of our protectors".

"They are but beasts themselves," Said the arrogant man from before

"You will stir up the others".

"Let them stir. Do you fear them? Believe me, it will be worse if we do not punish them. Do you see now, Korriman? You would trust them outside the walls when we cannot even trust them inside". Without even a second's thought, Hauru decided to rush in. The blonde boy was putting up a valiant fight, but he was getting his backside handed to him on a silver platter. Before the boy in the white coat could get another blow in, Hauru summoned Starlight to block the blow, standing between the blonde boy and the one in the coat.

"Enough," Hauru said, fighting back the urge to growl at the boy.

"So says the master's dog," The boy in the white coat seemed to say. "You will not always be his favorite".

"What did you say?" Hauru asked.

"You want to take his place?" asked the ill-tempered one.

"I'd be glad to show you a lesson in manners".

"Careful," said the blonde boy. "Seifer fights dirty". While Hauru was distracted, Seifer lunged toward her, but she managed to parry the blow in time, shoving him back with a kick to the chest before dismissing her Keyblade. She wanted to teach the boy a lesson, but not at the expense of his life. She looked to blonde boy and he tossed her a padded Struggle bat. She took a moment to acclimate to the balance of the thing and entered her ready stance.

"Holding back?" Seifer asked. Hauru shook her head.

"No. Just don't want to break you".

"I'll put you in your place all the same," Seifer said with almost palpable anger.

"Street rules," said the red-eyed girl. Seifer went in first, eager to strike the first blow, but Hauru dodged it altogether, but she had no choice but to block his follow up. Seifer fought with such fury that, if Hauru didn't know any better, she might think Seifer was a lycan as well. Hauru stayed on the defensive until...

"You defiled my daughter!" Seifer seemed to say. But it sounded more like the arrogant man from the other times.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said. Seifer paused for a moment, which opened him up for Hauru to lunge in and attack. Seifer groaned and was sent back a bit.

"You need help, yo," said the large boy.

"Stay out of this, Rai!" Seifer snapped. Rai didn't listen. He moved in, lunging with his staff, but as Hauru braced for the blow, she heard it impact something else, turning to see Olette blocking him and starting to fight him back.

"We'll take care of the others. You focus on Seifer," Olette said. Memories flashed in Hauru's mind, of battles long ago, bonds forged on the battlefields as the lycans stormed Castle Corvinus. Hayner had already gone after the strange red-eyed girl, trying to power through her defense. They were fighting for her. Or were they? No, she just stepped into their war, one that looked like it was going on for a while. But the fact that she was willing to step in for those she didn't know must have inspired them. As if she was in it with them now, through one act of defiance. With Seifer bereft of backup, Hauru was on the attack. She unleashed a flurry of swift attacks. When Seifer finally regained his bearings, Hauru saw something else. In her eyes, the boy had been replaced by an older man with icy blue eyes, grey hair, sharp fangs and a black long coat. And Hauru only got more furious. She kept the man, no, the vampire on the back foot, not relenting. When her foe finally managed to block one of her attacks, their bats locked, seeming to transform before Hauru's eyes into silver swords.

"I should have crushed you under my heel the day you were born," said Hauru's foe. Hauru shoved with her bat, sending her foe back a step and dropped down, sweeping his leg and knocking him onto his back. Suddenly, in Hauru's eyes, the foe before her changed back into Seifer and their swords back into bats. She was hallucinating. Or was she remembering. She held her bat pointed at Seifer and, from beside her, heard the flash of a camera. She turned to see the boy in the Dog Street shirt shaking a photo to let it develop.

"Tactical retreat," said the red-eyed girl. Hauru helped Seifer up and he ran off with the red-eyed girl and the larger boy called Rai. Hauru heard a voice in her head as she watched them leave. Hauru turned to face the blonde boy and tossed him back his struggle bat. "So, what got him so angry he just wailed on you like that?"

"Oh, him? He's just mad that I beat his grandstander record. Oh. Where are my manners? I'm Hayner".

"Hardly seems like a reason to just wail on someone who can't fight back".

"Well, thanks for stepping in," said the girl. "I'm Olette". The heavyset boy in the Dog Street shirt stepped forward.

"I'm Pence," he said. "Where'd you learn to fight like that?" Hauru rubbed the back of her head.

"Oh, I... picked up some moves here and there".

"I don't think he'll ever live it down. Beaten by a girl," Hayner said, slapping Hauru on the back.

"He sounded... like someone... I remember from a long time ago..." Hauru said, rubbing the back of her head. "Oh. Right. I'm Hauru".

"Nice to meet you, Hauru," Pence said with a smile.

"I love your necklace. Where'd you get it?" Chimed Olette.

"I... mom gave it to me. It's been in my family for centuries".

"That's so cool. It must mean a lot," Said Hayner. "You new in town, Hauru?"

"Not technically. I usually just pass through. I might stay a bit longer, though".

"Well, maybe you could hang with us until it's time for you to go," Olette suggested. Hauru nodded. It's been too long since she had friends. Not since that fateful night in the Land of Departure. Even after the other apprentices learned her secret, they refused to give up on her. But this time, the risk would be minimal. She had enough control now that an accident like the last one wouldn't happen. But the less who knew about her true nature, the better. That said, it stood to reason that lycans were social creatures by nature. Maybe the reason she cared so much about Ven, Aqua and Terra was because they were her pack. And if she needed a pack, it looked like she could do worse.

"Sure. You guys seem pretty cool, honestly," Said Hauru.

"It'll be great to have another girl in the group," Olette said with a laugh.

"I need to get something from the armor shop. Wanna come with, Olette?"

"Sure. I need to get something from the accessory shop anyway. Can I have the camera?" Olette asked. Pence nodded and handed it over.

"We'll meet you at the tower later, okay?" Asked Hayner. Olette turned to him and nodded as she led Hauru to the Tram Commons. When the two stood before the armor shop, Olette seemed surprised to see the owner. "What happened to Martin?" The man behind the counter smiled at Hauru and Olette.

"Oh. He quit. I'm Biggs. What can I do for you?"

"I've been looking to replace these old cloth bracers," Said Hauru. "They don't handle claws so well". Biggs paused for a moment before pulling something off the shelf and setting it on the counter. A pair of black studded leather bracers adorned with a familiar looking wolf's head emblem. It was nearly identical to the Fenrir charm she used for her keyblade. "The buckles aren't silver, are they?"

"Nope," said Biggs. "They're also padded, so they're perfect in the winter".

"Great. How much are they?" Hauru asked.

"About five hundred munny," said Biggs. "But since you're my first customer, I can give you a ten percent discount". Olette playfully jabbed Hauru in the arm.

"You hear that? His first customer". Hauru nodded and paid for the bracers, removing her old ones and putting on the ones she bought. "We should get a photo to remember this".

"I... I really shouldn't. I don't photograph" said Hauru. Hauru turned to Biggs.

"Come on, Hauru, those new bracers look GREAT".

"I... If you insist," Hauru said with a sigh. "If you don't mind".

"Not at all," he said. Hauru got closer to the counter, facing the camera with Biggs behind the counter and to the left of Hauru by Olette's view. Olette picked up the Camera and snapped a picture of the two. Olette plucked it from the camera and handed it to Biggs after shaking it to let it develop.

"Here," said Olette. "So you'll always remember your first customer". Biggs smiled and put the picture up on the wall.

"Thanks. You enjoy those bracers, now". Hauru nodded and followed Olette to the Accessory shop. Olette browsed through everything on the counter and sighed.

"They still don't have it..." Olette said, looking more than a little disappointed. "Oh well. It's around that time. Let's head to the clock tower". Hauru nodded and Followed Olette up through Station Heights to the big clock tower that overlooked Station Plaza. Hauru looked to the Horizon to see the sun going down. "Hurry!" Olette shouted as she led Hauru to the tower entrance and up the winding steps. When Hauru stepped out onto the balcony, she saw Pence and Hayner waiting there. Hayner handed Hauru a popsicle and Pence gave one to Olette. The pale blue reminded Hauru of the water around her home as she took a seat on the edge with the others.

"What is this," she asked, still staring at the treat. Even the scent reminded her of the islands she left after the first time she went through the change.

"Sea Salt Ice Cream," Pence answered. "Take a bite. It's really good". Hauru nodded and gave the popsicle a tentative lick before biting down. She couldn't stop a smile from forming on her face. But it was bittersweet. The smell and the taste reminded her of home. All her friends that must have forgotten her. Her mother who must have given up hope that she'd see her again. "So, how long you think you're going to stay?"

"Oh. I might head away for a day or two here and there, but I'll probably call Twilight Town my home for a while yet".

"Well, now that we have a new member, Clock Tower Trio doesn't exactly work, does it?" Hayner asked. "And since Hauru beat Seifer, I think the honor should be hers". Hauru paused for thought, but then as the sun began to set and the sky turned a deep crimson red, she had her answer.

"How about the 'Red Sky Pack'?" Hauru asked.

"That's perfect," Said Olette. "All in favor?" Everyone raised their hands in response. Hauru was happy. And why shouldn't she be. She couldn't keep the friends she had before, but she vowed she'd make this friendship last. As if to commemorate the moment, Hauru threw her head back and let loose a long hopeful howl. Rather than question it, her "pack" joined in. Hauru laughed with her new friends afterwards. And as the night fell, they made their way back down to street level and parted ways for the evening. Again, Hauru could feel and sense a seemingly dark presence watching her, but she paid it no mind, preferring to relish in her situation. She had Riku, and she had a pack. Things, at last, were looking up for the young lycan.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Yes, the next few chapters are going to mirror the opening of KH2 VERY closely. There is a reason for this that shall be revealed later

* * *

Hauru awoke with a start and a cold sweat, the agonized screams from her earlier nightmare still fresh in her mind. "That memory again..." she said to nobody. Hauru had taken Riku up on his offer. And whenever she was in Twilight town for long enough, she found herself sleeping in the Old Mansion just outside town. It let her spend more time in the past couple of months with Riku and he had even introduced her to the mysterious DiZ. Something about the masked man seemed familiar, but Hauru couldn't put her finger on it. Something about his voice. Like she'd heard it before. Not that it had mattered. Her crusade against Organization XIII had taken something of a back seat. Nearly half their number had fallen at Castle Oblivion. Felled, as DiZ and Riku had claimed, by Sora's hand. There was another resident in the manor, holed up in the White Room. A blonde-haired girl named Namine. She didn't speak much, preferring to keep to herself. She was out and about this morning, for some reason.

"Morning Hauru," She said, tearing Hauru from her thoughts. "How'd you sleep?"

"Not great," Hauru said.

"You had that dream again?" Hauru nodded. "I wish I could help you..."

"I know. Your powers only extend to Sora and those connected to him". Namine nodded and Hauru fetched herself a glass of juice. "Have you seen Riku?"

"He'll be back Before nightfall, I'm sure. He was chasing another lead," Said a deep, commanding voice from the man just leaving the study. His face was wrapped in red bandages and he was dressed in bizarre robes. "Are you going to be going out with your friends for the day?" Hauru nodded and started drinking her juice down. "I might have a sleeping drought you could use to help you avoid those nightmares". Hauru grabbed her jacked and belt off the coat hook and then fastened her bracers. "I have to go. Thanks again for letting me stay here". Hauru heads off, out the main door and makes her way through the town. A few days ago, she'd been looked at very differently. As if accusing her of something, but she did not know what. She only ever changed in the mansion so there would be no chance the locals would ever behold her true nature. There were some rumors of theft that Hauru picked up on the day prior. It is amazing what people will say when they don't think you can hear them. Maybe the rest of the pack had some idea of what was going on. She made her way to a seemingly dead end in the Alley, the gang's usual spot. They'd set up a nice gathering place there. Hauru and Pence managed to rescue a couch from a nice couple that didn't need it anymore and there was a cork board for photographed milestones. Including the day Hauru beat Seifer off of Hayner.

"Man!" Hayner shouted. Hauru walked on into the Usual spot and saw Hayner sitting on the broken radiator. Pence had made himself comfortable on a small crate and Olette on the rescued green couch. "Doesn't that tick you off?"

"You mean how everyone thinks we're thieves?" Hauru asked. Pence nodded.

"Yeah," he said. "That's just wrong".

"Seifer's gone too far this time," Olette chimed in. Hayner nodded, stood up and walked to the center of the room.

"I mean, it's true that stuff's been stolen around town. And Seifer does have a score to settle with us and everything". Hayner stroked his chin for a bit. "So, if he wants to think we did it, I can't really blame him". Hauru looked over at Hayner, noting his expression, the frustration plain on his face.

"But that's not what's eating you, is it?" Hauru asked.

"No. What really bugs me," Hayner said, "is that he's going around telling everyone we're the thieves! And the whole town and their mothers are treating us like we're the Klepto Club!" He clenched his fists and stared right at Hauru. "Have you ever been this ticked off before in your life?" Hauru shook her head. Not really the truth. Before she discovered the Calming Draught, she was fueled by her rage alone in her werewolf form. But best not to reveal that. "Because I haven't. Nuh-uh. Never. Now... what to do..." Olette and pence seemed lost in thought, but couldn't seem to come with anything.

"We could track down the real thieves," Hauru said. "That way we could clear names and be done with this".

"That could be fun," said Pence as headed to the photo board.

"Wait," Hayner said. "What about Seifer?"

"Set the record straight first," said Hauru. "We find the real thief, then everyone will see we're innocent". Hayner groaned in frustration, but ultimately relented, since he didn't have any better ideas.

"Oh, no!" shouted Pence. "They're gone! Our photos are gone!"

"All of our Photos?" Hayner asked.

"Looks like it," said Hauru. "Right from under our noses, too. Probably took 'em last night". Hauru sniffed for a bit, maybe some kind of scent trail would reveal itself. There was something, faint, but she'd smelled it before. Whoever had been watching her the past month... could they have something to do with this?

"Alright," said Hayner. "Time for some recon!" The others all nodded and Hauru led the group out to the Tram Commons. They gathered just in front of the Biggs's armor shop.

"Let the hunt begin," said Hauru.

"Yo Hauru," Said Biggs, stepping behind the counter. He stared daggers into Hauru, bearing the look of a disappointed father. "Never thought you'd do such a rotten thing..."

"It wasn't us!" Hauru shouted. She fought back the urge to growl at the man.

"I'd like to believe you, but... who else would steal that?"

"Steal what?" Hauru asked.

"Like you don't know," Biggs said, his voice tinged with palpable anger. "Not like I'm gonna tell you. Try the accessory shop". Hauru turned away from Biggs and headed to the Accessory shop. Jessie greeted her with a warm smile.

"Oh, it's Hauru," Jessie said. "Please don't let me down. You used to be one of my favorite customers".

"I'm not a thief!" Hauru shouted, her frustration starting to surface. "It's no fun having everyone suspect me, you know".

"Then you better find a way to clear your name. The woman that runs the candy shop is disappointed, too". Hauru hung her head and wandered over to the candy shop, her eye starting to twitch. But some deep breathing helped Hauru find her emotional center by the time she stood before the sweet old lady who ran the candy shop.

"Hauru?" she asked. "Have you seen my cat?" Hauru took a few deep whiffs of the air around her with her eyes closed. Then she had it. The cat's scent. It was out on the tram tracks and just cleaning itself. Hauru ran to the cat to grab it and the tram stopped just in front of her, as it usually did. Good thing too. If she stopped the thing herself, it would raise questions. The cat was not exactly happy to be anywhere near Hauru. Maybe cats just hated lycans. She brought the cat back to the sweet old lady.

"Oh! Thank you so much, Hauru. You saved him," said the kindly old woman.

"Did they steal anything from you, too?" Hauru asked.

"Oh, my. Yes".

"We didn't do it, just to be clear," Hauru said.

"I believe you".

"Thanks, ma'am," said Hauru. "What did they take from you?"

"My photos. My precious photos".

"So," Hayner said, stroking his chin again. "The thief's going around stealing photos".

"They got past Hauru. This is no ordinary theif," Pence chimed.

"You think Seifer would no anything about this?" asked Olette.

"Let's go find out. To the sandlot!" Hauru exclaimed. She ran with her pack beside her, heading to the Sandlot, eager to get some answers. When she got there Rai, and the strange red-eyed girl who she learned was named Fuu were already there. There was a new face there. A short... person in a tan hat, blue coat and no clear way to see their face. And once Hauru and her pack arrived, the person in the coat pointed right at them, which drew Rai's focus to the group.

"Thieves," said Fuu, pointing specifically at Hauru.

"That was low, y'know!" shouted Rai.

"Oh, yeah?" Hauru's brows furrowed and her nostrils flared. She reckognized that scent. Seifer walked in from a side road into the Sandlot.

"Nice comeback there, blondie".

"What'd you say!?" Hayner shouted. Hauru held her left arm out, signaling him to stay behind her. He groaned, but remained put.

"You can give us back the photos, now".

"Yeah," said Rai. "You're the only ones who would take it, y'know?" Seifer pointed at Hauru and began to circle around her pack.

"Those photos were the only proof that we used to own you lamers before Hauru showed up," Seifer said, his anger clear in his accusation. "So, what did you do? Burn them?" Seifer took up position in front of his own gang. "Not that we need some photos to prove that you're nothing without Hauru".

"Replay!" said Fuu.

"Now you're talking!" Seifer said in his usual arrogant tone. "I guess if you get on your knees and beg, maybe I'll let it slide". Hauru clenched her fists and took out her struggle bat, a slimmer model with a crescent guard.

"We don't beg!" Hauru shouted. "Now confess, or my pack leader foot is going to kick your butt". Seifer drew his struggle club and got into his Ready stance. Hauru moved in fast, faster than usual, and dodged one of Seifer's strikes, rolling behind him and delivering a few quick strikes that send him forward. But Seifer regains his bearings just in time to block the next few attacks. Hauru manages a quick maneuver to disarm him, forcing him to loosen his grip on his weapon so her next strike sent it flying. Seifer raised his arms in surrender and fell onto his knees. Rai and Fuu leapt between Seifer and Hauru.

"Seifer's not feelin' so hot, y'know!" Rai said. Fuu stepped in front of him, locking eyes with Hauru.

"Tournament decides," said Fuu. Pence took out his camera and Hauru posed with her struggle bat on her shoulder and Pence snapped a quick photo. He gave Hauru a thumbs up and she holstered her bat. Suddenly, a massive winged heartless with a giant sword shoved Pence aside and grabbed his camera before flying off.

"What was that?" asked Hayner.

"The thief," said Hauru. "I'll take care of this". Hauru summoned her keyblade, bearing fenrir's form and gave chase, following the Heartless's scent. It may have been an Invisible, but now that she had the scent, it couldn't hide. When Hauru caught up with the thing, it started flying out to the forest outside town. Toward the old mansion she was living at. Once in the forest, Hauru summoned her keyblade, bearing Fenrir's chain and form. The heartless stopped moving at the mansion's gate, twitching in a manner uncharasteric to Invisibles. Like it was fighting something. "Nowhere to run". The heartless dropped the camera and brought its sword to bear, the twitching stopped. Hauru ran at the heartless, eager to make the first move, but her opening blow glanced off its sword. Before the Invisible could follow up, Hauru rolled out of the way and aimed her blade at the creatures back. "Deep Freeze!" she shouted. A blast of blue energy leapt from the tip of her blade and hit the creature's sword arm as it turned around, freezing it nearly solid and leaving a trail of ice on the ground towards it.

Hauru went for it, sliding along the ice before leaping high, kicking the creature in the face is she backflipped before bringing her keyblade down for another stroke. Her off-hand seemed to grab at the invisibles chest, but when Hauru landed she saw... clawmarks? She looked at her left hand. Her fingernails had thickened, lengthened and darkened. But they quickly began to revert. She couldn't think about it now. The creature's sword arm had thawed, but it wouldn't take much to finish it off. Fenrir's blade was sheathed in fire magic as Hauru charged and delivered the killing blow. Her blade left an arc aross the creatures chest as it faded. But the scent was still there. This wasn't the thing that was watching her. Invisibles could, as the ame implied, cloak themselves to remain hidden, but their scent would still linger. There would be time to consider this all later. All of the stolen photos were scattered on the ground where the creature had been destroyed. As Hauru gathered them all, she tried to track the faint scent of whoever was watching her since she settled in Town, but it was hopeless. She wandered to the Usual Spot and was given a hero's welcome by her friends.

"So, what was that thing?" Olette asked.

"Doesn't matter. It's gone. But I got the photos back," Said Hauru. She handed them all to Pence and he held up the photo of Hauru and Biggs after she got her bracers. "Oh, yeah. I was his first customer after he took over the shop".

"I just realized something," Olette said. "Look at the photos. Most of them are of Hauru". Pence shuffled through them and held each one up.

"You're right," Hauru said. If that was the case… then the Heartless was connected to whoever has been watching her. But why?

"You think the thief would try to steal the real Hauru?" Pence asked.

"Don't be ridiculous," said Hayner. "Who else is crazy enough to put up with her?"

"You just admitted it, not me," Said Hauru. Hayner started chuckling and the rest of the pack erupted in laughter. It warmed Hauru's heart to have friends again. They'd never replace the family she had at the Land of Departure, but they'd give her something to come back to. She knew, no matter how far she'd go, they'd be waiting for her. And that was the best feeling in the world.


	11. Chapter 11

Why? As the sun set over Twilight town, it was the only thing on her mind. Heartless are normally far more aggressive than the invisible that took all those photos from the townsfolk. The moon had not started to rise yet. It was not going to be full for another two days. Hauru did not have anything to worry about on that front. But she grew claws when she fought that invisible at the mansion. And when it died, some faint scent of whoever was watching her remained. The stolen photos were proof enough that she was being watched. But why? Could this person, this entity, know of her true nature? She could no longer doubt any longer that someone or something knew. Who or whatever it was didn't smell like any of the Organization members she had encountered in the past. But as the sky turned black and the stars revealed themselves, she realized that there was nothing she could do but wait.

As she gazed out from the clock tower alone, she looked at her left hand, the one that had sprouted claws in that earlier fight. Was it the start of something? The beginning of her freedom from the moon's influence? "_Promise me you'll never use it,"_ said a woman's voice. Hauru knew it was pointless to look for the source. The voices she had been hearing, at least according to DiZ, were nothing more than fragments of memories from a past that was not hers. DiZ seemed to know an awful lot about her kind. Consulting the Treatise by Ansem showed that it was common for lycans to pass memories to those they turn. But Ansem's sample group contained no purebloods. But that voice sounded familiar... She had heard it before. The other times she heard it were her dreams. Especially the one that haunted her so. In those dreams, the voice only ever said one thing. "_Goodbye, my love. They may destroy my body, but my heart will love you forever_". Sonja. That voice belonged to Sonja. That could mean anything. Surely other lycans overheard. At worst, it just meant that whoever her father was had been turned by Lucian or some other lycan that witnessed that tragic event. Hauru stared out at the gibbous moon and clutched at the pendant she wore.

"A scattered dream that's like a far-off memory? Or a far-off memory that's like a scattered dream? Either way... I want to line the pieces up. Yours... and mine," she said to nobody. She turned to face the sound of footsteps coming up the tower, fighting back the urge to growl. But once she caught wind of the scent she relaxed. Seawater and leather... Riku. It wasn't long before Riku made it to the top of the stairs and came out to the balcony with two sea-salt ice cream bars in hand. "I thought I smelled sea-salt".

"Me or the ice cream?" Riku asked. Hauru just nodded as Riku took a seat beside her, handing her an ice cream bar. "So, you and your pack do anything interesting today?" Hauru nodded and took a bite of her ice-cream.

"I managed to find that thief that made so much trouble for us. But... it wasn't a person". Hauru took another bite and Riku did the same.

"What do you mean?"

"It was a Heartless," Hauru said. "An invisible. But it went down way too easy. It seemed like it was... I don't know. Maybe it was fighting against some kind of control".

"Was that what was watching you for the past month?" Hauru shook her head.

"No. When it died, I caught that scent again, but once I focused on it, it was gone". Riku took another bite of his bar and laughed.

"Can't imagine they'll be able to hide forever. Nothing gets past you". Hauru nodded and looked out into the night sky. "What's wrong? Feeling homesick?" Riku asked.

"Not quite," said Hauru. "I was raised on the Destiny Islands, but I still don't even feel like I know where home is. Like, is my father out there looking for me? Or... does he even know I exist?"

"Maybe he's wondering the same thing about you. Wherever he is, I think he's looking up right now wondering if you're looking back," Riku said, laying a hand on Hauru's shoulder. "And I think he'd be proud of you for getting this far". Hauru smiled at Riku and grabbed his hand in hers, holding it as they looked out together.

"You think you'll find him?"

"Find who?" Riku asked.

"Roxas. You just need him, and Sora can wake up, right?" Riku shook his head.

"There's... another vessel. So, things just got complicated".

"Then let me help. I can go after this other vessel and you can hunt Roxas down".

"That won't be necessary. Besides, you've still got your own things to work on, don't you?" Hauru nodded and let out a sigh. She hated that Riku felt he had to go on these hunts by himself. Hated that he didn't trust her enough to have his back. But it made some sense why. Sora was his friend. He betrayed Sora because he thought it would help Kairi, only to be taken and used by Ansem, Seeker of Darkness. "If I'd been stronger, if I didn't succumb to Ansem... Maybe... maybe Sora would be right here with us, looking out at the same moon, the same stars..." Riku's words struck a chord in Hauru. Immediately she was reminded of what Aeon had told her when she delivered the news about Master Eraqus. There was only one way to respond.

"Maybe he would have fallen down a flight of stairs," she said. She paused to take the final bite of her popsicle, savoring the taste that reminded her so much of home. "Maybe he'd have gotten sick. Maybe he'd have fallen in battle". Riku just looked at Hauru.

"What's your point?" he asked.

"My point is that you can't torture yourself with what ifs and maybes. If we focus too hard on what we should have done, we lose sight on what we can do to set things right". Riku paused for a bit and nodded.

"You're right," he said. "I've got to say, you're easily the smartest lycan I've ever met".

"And you, my dear Riku, are quite the man of mystery. I've never seen your eyes since we've been together. First time I saw you... well, if I didn't see you out in the sunlight and eating food, I'd swear you were a vampire," Hauru said with a laugh.

"Would it be a deal breaker if I was?" he asked. Hauru shook her head.

"Not necessarily. And we wouldn't be the first. Almost six hundred years ago, there was a lycan slave who fell in love with a vampire noble. But it was forbidden. She was killed and he swore vengeance. What's worse is that she was executed on the orders of her own father". Recounting the story drew a tear to Hauru's eye, which Riku promptly brushed away with his finger. It impressed her just how well he knew the space around him with that thing covering his eyes. "And on some far-off word, my kind've been hunted for nearly six hundred years".

"Is it lonely? Being the only one of your kind out here?" Hauru shook her head.

"It can be, but a good group of friends... a good pack can see me through. The apprentices were like family for a bit. But lycans aren't meant to be alone. But... I had to stay alone to protect the people around me. It felt so... wrong".

"Well," Riku said. "People and wolves are social creatures... Stands to reason you'd be, too". Hauru smiled and looked at him for a moment. If only she could see his eyes, she could get lost in them.

"Yeah... Glad you came up here. This is nice. A chance to just... talk. And the moon makes this so much more... romantic". Riku seemed to blush at the thought, nearly taken aback. Hauru giggled at the sight of the hardened penitent Riku blushing.

"Well," Riku said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess it does inspire a certain mood, doesn't it?" Hauru nodded. "What do we do now, though?" Hauru flashed Riku a wicked smile and got up behind the balcony banister and Riku followed.

"I know what you're supposed to do," Hauru said. She pulled Riku in close and he pressed one hand against the small of her back and stroked her face with the other while Hauru reached up past his shoulders and locked her fingers behind his head. "You grab the girl... and you kiss her like you mean it". Riku smiled at the thought. Hauru needed this. And she could sense that he did, too. There was only so long they could wait. Only so long they could hold their feelings back. Hauru pulled Riku in closer and beneath the nearly full moon, their lips met. And it felt, in that moment, as their hearts were one. This moment wouldn't last forever. It couldn't. But Hauru would hold this night, this moment in her memory for all her life. When they broke their kiss, the two looked at each other and they threw their heads back. Their joyous howls echoed through the night. Hauru felt as though she'd finally been found.


	12. Chapter 12

_Hauru was falling. She didn't know where from, as the only thing she could see around her was pitch black darkness. She looked down and saw a dark purple light and tried to move towards it. As she get closer, she began to see some details. A woman clad in black armor and a red cape clutching a silver sword. She had pale skin, long black hair and her eyes were a pale, icy blue. Closer and closer the twelve-year-old Hauru got. She noticed even more details. Including a shadowy figure behind her that seemed to match the silhouette of a lycan in wolf form. It was a mosaic she was falling towards. When Hauru saw the necklace around the woman's neck and her bared fangs, it became clear who the woman was. Around her head were three circles. Each containing a face of one she knew. A man with a trimmed beard and long hair, matching the descriptions of Lucian. An older man with hair swept back and a perpetual scowl, which was how Hauru always imagined Viktor looking like whenever she read the story. The third was a woman, long hair and very pretty, but in a more youthful way than the maiden who took up the center of the mosaic. "Sonja?" Hauru asked. Nobody responded. After what felt like a whole minute, Hauru finally landed on the Mosaic._

_None of what she saw made sense. A dive to the heart was something all keyblade wielders had to go through. But it was supposed to be to her own heart. Sonja... She was just a character in an old story. And even if she was not, she would have been dead for six centuries. She heard a voice. The same one from her dreams. Sonja's voice... "There is still much to be done, but time is running short," she said. "Do not be afraid, young one. The full moon has yet to rise". A pillar of light shone down upon the mosaic, seeming to center on the Necklace Sonja wore in the image. "Step forward. It will be okay. I promise". Hauru nodded and slowly walked toward the pillar. Once she reached it, she looked down at the Mosaic. The Necklace Sonja wore... it was identical to her own. But that was impossible. Or was it? Could there be more to those "stories" than what she was told? But if Sonja was real... if all of it was real... Hauru should not be standing on the mosaic of Sonja's heart. "You are the heir to an ancient power, slumbering in your blood. But it has begun to stir. It will give you strength, but you must give it focus"._

_From the Mosaic floor, three pedestals rose. Atop each rested a single item. Atop the first pedestal floated a silver sword, identical to the one Sonja held in the Mosaic. The second held a small key and atop the third was what looked like a magic wand. Hauru walked toward the key and as soon as she touched it, a vision flashed through her head. The moment Sonja nearly got eaten by werewolves until Lucian removed his shackle and scared them away. "The power of the Guardian," Sonja said. "Kindness to aid friends. a body that will ever endure. Shall this be your focus?" Hauru nodded and the key vanished. "You have chosen its focus, but what will you surrender in exchange?" Hauru looked to the sword and took it in her hand. In her mind flashed a fateful battle. A lycan tearing through armored vampires left and right and that same lycan battling the ruthless elder, Viktor. "The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. The capacity for terrible destruction. Shall this be the power you surrender?" Hauru thought about it and shook her head. She set the sword back and took up the wand. No visions came to her. "The power of the mystic. Inner strength. A wand of wonder and ruin. Shall you give this up?" Hauru nodded. "You have chosen the power of the guardian. You have given up the power of the mystic. Is this the path you wish to wak?" Hauru nodded again and the pillars disappeared._

_In their place, a door appeared and Hauru walked right on through it. The light blinded her, but she quickly adjusted. She seemed to be standing in the ruins of an ancient castle. No... the ruins were too close a match to the castle from the story... Castle Corvinus. Specifically, she stood in the council chamber. But why was she here? "The war still rages," Sonja seemed to say. "I want to know more about you". Hauru noticed only three people in her view. Lucian, the first and most powerful of the lycans. Sonja, the radiant vampire from the Mosaic. And Viktor, the ruthless elder from the story sitting atop his throne. Hauru approached Viktor first, who knelt to meet the young Hauru at eye level. "What do you value? What do you hold dear over all else?" his thick accent unnerved Hauru with each word he spoke. It seemed to peak to a deep-seeded arrogance._

"_F... Friendship," she said._

"_Friendship? How quaint," Viktor sneered. Hauru shuddered, turning away from him and her eyes met with Sonja's. She seemed so... radiant. An odd word for a woman who could never see daylight. Far softer and at ease than her father. She looked at Hauru and smiled warmly._

"_What do you desire most?" she asked. Hauru felt more at ease. Sonja had a warmth about her and it made Hauru wonder just how someone so good could come from such a vile man like Viktor._

"_I want to be strong. To protect the people that matter to me". _

"_A noble desire, indeed," Sonja said with a smile. Hauru walked up to Lucian, who looked down and tussled Hauru's hair._

"_Tell me," he said, "what do you fear most?" Lucian's voice was stern, yet soothing. He looked exactly as a lycan leader should. Confident, rugged, and a stern look on his face. But his expression softened once he locked eyes with Hauru._

"_I guess I'm scared of being different". Lucian knelt and tussled Hauru's hair._

"_There's worse things than that. Different is far from the worst thing to be". Lucian smiled and began to fade, followed by Viktor and Sonja. Hauru stood alone in the chamber._

"_When the full moon rises, your power will awaken. Your road will be a difficult one, but it will only make you stronger. The day you shall end the war is Far off, but fast approaching". As soon as Sonja spoke these words, a door appeared before Hauru. She wasted no time going through and she found herself standing on a mosaic depicting herself. She began to feel strange. She was on-edge, felt like something was... pulling at her blood. "The full moon has risen. Your power awakens. The power of a pureblood lycan". Hauru was brought to her knees by a sudden pain. She looked up at the full moon as her eyes began to change. She ran her tongue over her teeth and found that they'd become sharper. What has happening to her? She looked down at her hands and watched as her claws began to grow. She screamed as she felt her ribs begin to expand and her legs shift. Sonja, all of a sudden, appeared before her. _

_Hauru began to cry, screaming as the changes progressed. "But don't be afraid," Sonia said as she tried to comfort Hauru. Hauru's ribs began to subtly, but painfully expand as her legs shifted. The sickening sounds of bones breaking and changing and reforming filled Hauru's hearing, which only got more and more sensitive as they began to change shape and position. Hauru itched as fur began to grow. Inky shadows began to manifest and slowly spread across the mosaic below. Her face began to change, pushing out into a lycan's muzzle as her skin changed into a rough, dark grey. "You hold the greatest weapon of all". The shadows spread furth, begin to envelop Hauru and Sonja seeming to pull the two apart. "Never forget. You are the one... that will help end the war". And just as her dive began in darkness, so too has it ended._


	13. Chapter 13

Hauru wandered through the streets of Twilight town the next day. She had been neglecting her hair in some respects since she started living with Riku, DiZ and Naminé. Refusing to cut it. It had gotten down to her shoulders now, but she was not bothered by it. She was still thinking about that Invisible she fought. She did not want to stay in the mansion any longer than she had to. She needed to get to the usual spot, but she could not keep her mind still. Was growing claws in battle a sign of gaining control or losing it? It was close to a full moon, but she never changed without one. Maybe purebloods were different. Maybe they developed on their paths faster than the ones that were bitten. It was not like she could ask a pureblood. After all, the only other known pureblood perished in the Great Blaze almost six centuries before. At least according to the stories her mother told her. Was this normal for lycans? Or was she special? She headed off into the alley and looked down at her hands. She tried to see if she could make it happen again, trying to summon the emotion she felt in that moment. She even tried making slashing gestures with both hands to see if that would do it, but it was for nothing.

Maybe it was just a fluke. Hauru sighed. Most lycans took a century to be able to change at will and be free of the influence of the moon. Why would she be able to do it at her age? Hauru wandered into the Usual spot and met her pack there. Pence greeted her with a smile and handed her a Sea Salt Ice Cream bar. Hauru took it and smiled, taking a seat on the broken radiator as Hayner graciously moved to the couch.

Of Course, For Hauru to live long enough to gain control over the change itself, she would certainly outlive everyone. Her mother, her friends and even Riku. She tried not to think about it. But a clawing doubt began to form in her mind. One she had to voice. "Hey," she said. "Do... do you guys think we'll always be together like this?" She regretted asking the second she did. Of course, they would not be together like that forever. They could not. Lycans, being immortal, will always outlive their human friends. But it was a nagging question she had to ask.

"I hope so," Said Olette.

"Huh?" asked Hayner "Where'd that come from?" Hauru looked over at Hayner and clutched at her necklace.

"Thinking out loud, I guess".

"We probably can't be together forever," Hayner said. "That's what growing up is about, isn't it?" Hauru and the others nodded. Hauru took a sizable bire out of her ice cream. "What's important isn't how often we see each other, but how often we think about each other, right?" Hauru nodded and took another bite.

"You get that off a fortune cookie?" Pence asked with a grin on his face. He finished up what was left of his bar and tossed the stick aside.

"That's it," Hayner snapped. "No more ice cream for you". Hayner looked up for a moment and sighed. "Today's turning out to be a real drag".

"Because of the thief from yesterday?" Olette asked.

"I JUST got the last few photos back to their owners," Hauru said. "It was tough, but I was able to convince them that we didn't steal them".

"No. You know what it is?" Hayner asked. Everyone else shook their heads. Hauru looked to the side… that scent, that fickle scent that seemed to follow her, it was back. But Hauru was too distracted to get a fix on it. She pondered Hayner's question for a bit. Then it dawned on her and she snapped her fingers.

"We don't want Summer vacation to end," she said. Hayner flashed Hauru a smile. "So... we should go to the beach!" Hauru got up and walked to the center of the room. "Summer Vacation's nearly over and we haven't gone once". Hauru could almost picture it.

"That's a great idea," said Hayner. "Blue seas, blue skies... We should just get on the train and go!" Hauru smiled at the prospect but Pence and Olette were less than enthusiastic.

"Maybe you forgot," Pence said. "But... we're kind of completely broke".

"Maybe you forgot, but I'm smart." said Hayner. He broke out into a run and the rest of the pack followed close by. Except for Hauru, who left the Usual Spot and sniffed around the back alley for a bit. She did not have to for long. Leaning on a nearby wall was the source of that enigmatic scent. She wore a torn and sleeveless cloak, not unlike those worn by the Organization. She wore a black midriff top and thigh-high boots that went well with her shorts. Her exposed arms had dark skin and intricate white and black tattoos. Her hood was up, keeping her face hidden. A mantle of white fur was draped around her shoulders similarly to the tan fur on Hauru's jacket.

"Why do you keep following me?" Hauru asked impatiently, looking right at the strange woman's face.

"Kind of rude, don't you think? I was told to keep an eye on you. I hear you've been having some munny troubles". The woman reached into one of the pockets on her cloak and tossed a pouch to Hauru.

"What's in it?" Hauru asked. She gave the pouch a shake and put it in her own empty munny pouch, acknowledging its contents. "Who are you?" The strange woman chuckled and walked past Hauru.

"Suffice it to say I am a dear friend of the family… a friend of your father". Hauru was taken aback, but before she could question the strange woman further, she opened a Dark corridor and stepped through just before it collapsed.

"That was weird…"

Once they got to Station heights, Hayner stopped in front of a large poster on the nearby wall. Hauru walked up to take a look. The poster was advertising the struggle tournament. "Oh, yeah... That's just two days off, isn't it?"

"Yeah," said Hayner. "We should all enter. The whole pack".

"You sure?" Hauru asked.

"Yeah. Best chance one of us wins," said Pence.

"Otherwise, why would you have taught us to fight. Hauru?" asked Olette.

"Good point," Hauru conceded. "At least two of us have to make it to the finals. That way we can split the prize no matter who wins".

"It's a promise," said Hayner, putting his hand before him. Olette and Pence placed their hands atop Hayner's and Hauru was the last to put hers in.

"The strength of the pack is the wolf," said Hauru.

"And the strength of the wolf is the pack," they all said in unison as they lifted their hands high and howled. It never ceased to amaze Hauru how her little outburst when they all first met became this sort of ritual. A show of unity. Even if she was a little surprised how readily the gang accepted the wolf theme.

"Alright," said Hauru. "Back to brass tacks. Train tickets to the beach are about nine hundred munny each, so we need thirty-six hundred for all of us..."

"We'll need munny to spend when we get there, too," Pence chimed in.

"On what?" Hauru asked.

"Pretzels, obviously," said Hayner. "And you don't have a swimsuit, do you?"

"Yes, I actually do now. But your right. So... I figure three hundred each to spend. So, a total of about forty-eight hundred should do," Hauru explained. "So, how much have we got?"

"I'm flat broke," said Hayner.

"I've got eight hundred on me," said Pence.

"Six hundred and fifty," said Olette. Hauru nodded and checked the munny pouch on her belt.

"I have three hundred," said Pence.

"I've only got fifty," Hayner answered.

"I have… Whoa… fourty-three hundred munny!"

"Awesome! We can TOTALLY afford to go with that," Hayner shouted.

"I just need to go get my bag from home," Hauru said. "Olette, you hold onto the munny, okay?" Olette nodded and Hauru gave it to Olette to store in her pouch while she made her way to the old mansion as quick as she could. Her mind was still focused on that mysterious woman. Who was she? Did she know who Hauru's father was or was that a lie? She could have been anyone. Not even connected to her family. What if she was… no. She could not be a Death Dealer. She stood in the light of the sun and suffered no harm for it. Moreover, she did not stink of fresh blood as the vampires in her nightmares did. Hauru put it out of her mind as she headed inside to get her bag before making her way to the Station plaza. When she got there, she saw all her friends waiting for her at the entrance to the station with smiles on their faces.

"Come on! The train leaves in five minutes," said Hayner. Hauru nodded and followed her friends inside. Olette went to the ticket counter to get the tickets while the others waited by the platform. "This is gonna be great".

"Yeah," said Hauru. She sighed and boarded the train with her friends. As they all took their seats, Hauru elected to remain standing as the train got underway. She looked lost for a moment. In thoughts and memories of the Islands. Of her friends

"Hauru?" Olette asked. Hauru snapped out of it to face her friends. "Something wrong?"

"No. Nothing's wrong. Just... thinking of home. That's all". The rest of the ride passed in silence as the train grew nearer to its destination. The doors opened up and Hauru lead her pack out of the train and out to the waiting sands. It didn't take long for Hauru to find a Cabana so her pack could take turns changing into their swimwear. Olette came out wearing a tasteful orange swimsuit that mirrored the floral pattern on her regular outfit. Hayner, oddly, didn't seem to change short of removing his shirt and jacket. "Hayner? Were you wearing your swim trunks the whole time?" Hauru asked. Hayner nodded, gesturing for Hauru to head into the cabana. She came out wearing a black and read one-piece suit fitted with a sort of skirt arrangement. She smiled and did something of a twirl to show it off. Pence went into the cabana next and emerged in his swim trunks and his jersey. Hauru gave him a polite smile and they went out to secure a spot. A few sniffs of the air, and Hauru smiled wide.

"Hauru?" Hayner asked as he approached Hauru from behind laid a hand on her shoulder. "What's up?"

"Follow me, guys," was all she said before darting off. Her friends all followed close behind. She came to a stop in front of a man with something of a stout build, blonde hair, a well-trimmed beard and who smelt of leather and parchment. He was reading what looked like an old book. "Aeon! It's good to see you out here". Aeon adjusted his glasses and moved his gaze to Hauru.

"Hauru? Fancy meeting you here," he said. Aeon closed his book and rose to his feet, looking over Hauru and her friends. "And who are these fine youths with you?"

"These are my friends," Hauru answered with a warm smile. "Well, they're more like my pack. This is Hayner, Pence, and Olette". Hauru gestured to each of them as she said their names. "Guys, this is Aeon. He helped me out with some stuff a while back".

"They seem to be some fine upstanding folk. 'Lit,' Is that your parlence?" Hauru shuddered at Aeon's attempt to "fit in with the youth".

"Not quite," Hauru said. She lifted her head to howl and her "pack" followed suit.

"Goodness. If I'd asked any of my schoolmates to do that, I'd have been beaten to within an inch of my life". Aeon leaned in to whisper into Hauru's ear. "Hauru, please tell me you didn't..."

"You know me better than to even ask that," Hauru said, visibly appalled at the suggestion.

"We're not sure why she does it," Olette said. "But it's fun. Started when we took her to the clock tower after she helped us out against Seifer and his friends".

"I don't like bullies," Hauru said as if rushing to her own defense.

"I imagine very few people do," Aeon said.

"Well, Seifer... kind of reminded me of Viktor The Tragedy of the Crownless king". Aeon knew what Hauru was talking about, and it showed on his face. Hauru wasn't ready to her pack about what she was. And less ready to explain the flashbacks to memories that weren't her own.

"That is troubling. A shame there are still those like him". Aeon's expression grew a bit sullen as he spoke.

"Uh... What's 'The Tragedy of the Crownless King'?" Pence asked, provided a welcome change of subject.

"Would make for a fascinating history lecture, I suspect," Aeon answered.

"It was my favorite book growing up," Hauru said. Her expression brightened as she was reminded, by her own words, of better times. Before she left the Islands, before she turned for the first time. "It's weird, but I feel really connected to some of the characters. Especially Lucian..."

"Well, what's it about?" Olette asked.

"Well," Hauru began, "it's... about creatures of the night. It's also a story about forbidden love. Lucian was a lycan slave that fell in love with a beautiful vampire princess named Sonja".

"That sounds so romantic," Olette said. Hayner feigned gagging before getting a swift elbow from Pence.

"It's got some action bits, but... Well, I won't spoil it". Hauru's expression changed, seeming a bit dour as she hung her head a bit. "But I still find myself reading it when I can and hoping that it'll turn out differently. Actually... Aeon, do you have a copy I could lend to the pack?"

"Hrm..." was all Aeon could manage before he went over to his bag and began to rummage through it. "Let's see... Folly of the Pelucid Kings, Equestrianism and You, A Guide to Shields... Ah! Here it is". Aeon returned to Hauru carrying a blue hardcover book. The cover showed a picture of Lucian and Sonja, sharing a tearful embrace as all around them seemed to crumble. "This is the only one I have, so do be sure to bring it back, alright?" Hauru nodded and gave it to Olette, who ran her hands over the bittersweet image on the cover.

"I'll make sure it gets to you once the whole pack has had the chance to read it".

"Or once Olette's read it and explained it to us," Pence said with a laugh. "Thanks, Aeon".

"You are quite welcome, lad".

"Come on, guys," Hauru said. "This day's not going to enjoy itself".


End file.
